JAN  18  1918 


BV  4501  .G64  1906 
Gordon,  S.  D.  1859-1936 
Quiet  talks  on  service 


QUIET   TALKS   ON   SERVICE 


S.    D.    GORDON'S 

QUIET  TALKS 

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Quiet  Talks  on  Power 
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Quiet  Talks  with  World  Winners 

Quiet  Talks  About  the  Tempter 

Quiet  Talks  on  Home  Ideals 

Quiet  Talks  About  Our  Lord's  Return 

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of  the  Revelation 
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MM, 


QUIET  TALKS 
ON  SERVICE 

S.   D.    GORDON 

Author  of*'^ut  Talks  on  Powir,** 
and  "^iet  Talks  on  Praytr** 


NEW  YORK       CHICAGO        TORONTO 

FLEMING   H.    REVELL   COMPANY 

LONDON  AND  EDINBURGH 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:   100  Princes  Street 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Personal    Contact    with     Jesus  :     The 

Beginning  of  Service        .         ,         .         9 

The   Triple   Life  :   The  Perspective   of 

Service 29 

Yokefellows  :   The  Rhythm  of  Service       57 

A  Passion  for  Winning  Men  :  The  Mo- 
tive-Power OF  Service       ...       85 

Deep-Sea  '  Fishing  :     The    Ambition     of 

Service 113 

Money  :  The  Golden  Channel  of  Ser- 
vice        133 

Worry  :  A  Hindrance  to  Service  .     161 

Gideon's  Band:  Sifted  for  Service        .     191 


PERSONAL    CONTACT    WITH 

JESUS:    THE    BEGINNING 

OF   SERVICE. 


The  Beginning  of  an  Endless  Friendship, 

An  Ideal  Biography. 

The  Eyes  of  the  Heart. 

We  ar€  Changed. 

The  Outlook  Changed. 

Talking  with  Jesus. 

Getting  Somebody  Else. 

The  True  Source  of  Strong  Service, 


PERSONAL    CONTACT    WITH 

JESUS:    THE    BEGINNING 

OF   SERVICE. 

(Johni:  35-51.) 


The  Beginning  of  an  Endless  Friendship. 

About  a  quarter  of  four  one  afternoon,  three 
young  men  were  standing  together  on  a  road 
leading  down  to  a  swift-running  river.  It  was 
an  old  road,  beaten  down  hard  by  thousands  of 
feet  through  hundreds  of  years.  It  led  down 
to  the  riv^r,  and  then  along  its  bank  through  a 
village  scatteringly  nestled  by  the  fords  of  the 
river.  The  young  men  were  intently  absorbed 
in  conversation. 

One  of  them  was  a  man  to  attract  attention 
anywhere.  He  was  clearly  the  leader  of  the 
three.  His  clothing  was  very  plain,  even  to 
severeness.  His  face  was  spare,  suggesting  a  diet 
as  severely  plain  as  his  garments.  The  abun- 
dance of  dark  hair  on  head  and  face  brought  out 
sharply  the  spare,  thoughtful,  earnest  look  of  his 
face.  His  eyes  glowed  like  coals  of  living  fire 
beneath  the  thick,  bushy  eyebrows.  He  talked 
9 


lo  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

quietly  but  intensely.  There  was  a  subdued 
vigor  and  force  about  his  very  person. 

One  of  the  others  was  a  very  different  type 
of  man.  He  was  intense  too,  like  the  leader, 
but  there  was  a  fineness  and  a  far-looking  depth 
about  his  eye  such  as  suggests  a  gray  eye  rather 
than  a  black.  His  hair  was  softer  and  finer, 
and  his  skin  too.  In  him  intensity  seemed  to 
blend  with  a  fine  grain  in  his  whole  make-up. 
The  third  man  was  a  quiet,  matter-of-fact  look- 
ing fellow.  He  did  not  talk  much,  except  to  ask 
an  occasional  question.  The  three  men  were  en- 
gaged in  earnest  conversation,  when  a  fourth 
man,  a  stranger,  came  down  the  road  and,  pass- 
ing the  three  by,  went  on  ahead. 

The  leader  of  the  three  called  the  attention  of 
his  companions  to  the  stranger.  At  once  they 
leave  his  side  and  go  after  the  stranger.  As 
they  nearly  catch  up  to  him,  he  unexpectedly 
turns  and  in  a  kindly  voice  asks,  "Whom  are  you 
looking  for?"  Taken  aback  by  the  unexpected 
question,  they  do  not  answer,  but  ask  where  he 
is  going.  Quickly  noticing  the  point  of  their 
question,  he  cordially  says,  "Come  over  and  take 
tea  with  me." 

They  gladly  accepted  the  invitation,  and  spent 
the  evening  with  him.  And  the  friendship  begun 
that  day  continued  to  the  end  of  their  lives. 
Both  became  his  dear  friends.  And  one,  the 
fine-grained,    intense   man,    became    his    closest 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         ii 

bosom  friend.  He  never  forgot  that  day.  When 
he  came  years  after  to  write  about  his  hospitable 
friend,  found  that  afternoon,  he  could  remem- 
ber every  particular  of  their  first  meeting.  We 
must  always  be  grateful  to  John  for  his  simple, 
full  account  of  his  first  meeting  with  Jesus. 


An  Ideal  Biography, 

His  simple  story  of  that  afternoon  contains  in 
it  the  three  steps  that  begin  all  service.  They 
looked  at  Jesus ;  they  talked  with  Jesus ;  forever 
to  the  end  of  their  lives  they  talked  about  Him. 
Here  are  the  two  personal  contacts  that  underlie 
all  service,  that  lead  into  all  service.  The  close 
personal  contact  with  Jesus  begun  and  continued. 
And  then  personal  contact  with  other  men  ever 
after.  The  first  always  leads  to  the  second.  The 
power  and  helpfulness  of  the  second  grow  out  of 
the  first. 

There  is  a  little  line  in  the  story  that  may  serve 
as  a  graphic  biography  of  John  the  Herald. 
There  could  be  no  finer  biography  of  anybody 
of  whom  it  could  be  truly  written.  It  is  this : 
"Looking  upon  Jesus  as  He  walked,  he  said 
look."  He  himself  was  absorbed  in  looking. 
Jesus  caught  him  from  the  first.  He  was  ever 
looking.  And  he  asked  others  to  look.  His 
whole  ministry  was  summed  up  in  pointing  Jesus 
out  to  others. 


12  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

He  was  ever  insisting  that  men  look  at  Jesus. 
Looking,  he  said  "look."  His  lips  said  it,  and 
his  life  said  it.  John's  presence  was  always  spell- 
ing out  that  word  "look,"  with  his  whole  life  an 
index  finger  pointing  to  Jesus.  If  we  might  be 
like  that.  Every  man  of  us  may  be  in  his  life, 
in  the  great  unconscious  influence  of  his  pres- 
ence, a  clearly  lettered  signpost  pointing  men  to 
the  Master.  All  true  service  begins  in  personal 
contact  with  Jesus.  One  cannot  know  Him  per- 
sonally without  catching  the  warm  contagion  of 
His  spirit  for  others.  And  there  is  a  fine  fra- 
grance, a  gentle,  soft  warmth,  about  the  service 
that  grows  out  of  being  with  Him. 

The  beginning  of  John's  contact  with  Jesus 
that  day,  and  Andrew's,  was  in  looking.  Their 
friend  the  herald  bid  them  look.  They  found  him 
looking.  They  did  as  he  was  doing.  Following  the 
line  of  his  eyes,  and  of  his  teaching  too,  and  of 
his  life,  they  looked  at  Jesus.  And  as  they  looked 
the  sight  of  their  eyes  began  to  control  them. 
They  left  John  and  quickened  their  pace  to  get 
nearer  to  this  Man  at  whom  they  were  looking. 
There  never  was  a  finer  tribute  to  a  man's  faith- 
fulness to  his  Master  than  is  found  in  these  men 
leaving  John.  They  could  not  help  going.  They 
had  been  led  by  John  into  the  circle  of  Jesus' 
attractive  power.  And  at  once  they  are  irre- 
sistibly drawn  toward  its  center. 

The  basis  of  the  truest  devotion  and  devest 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         13 

loyalty  to  Jesus  is  not  in  a  creed  but  in  Himself. 
There  must  be  creeds.  Whatever  a  man  be- 
lieves is  of  course  his  creed.  Though  as  quickly 
as  he  puts  it  into  words  he  narrows  it.  Truth  is 
always  more  than  any  statement  of  it.  Faith  is 
always  greater  than  our  words  about  it.  We  do 
not  see  Jesus  with  our  outer  eyes  as  did  these  men 
in  the  Gospel  narrative.  We  cannot  put  out  our 
hands  in  any  such  way  as  Thomas  did  and  know 
by  the  feel.  We  must  listen  first  to  somebody 
telling  about  Him. 

We  listen  either  with  eyes  on  the  Book,  or  ears 
open  to  some  faithful  mutual  friend  of  His  and 
ours.  What  we  hear  either  way  is  a  creed,  some- 
body's belief  about  Jesus.  So  we  come  to  Jesus 
first  through  a  creed,  somebody's  belief,  some- 
body's telling :  so  we  know  there  is  a  Jesus,  and 
are  drawn  to  Himself.  When  we  come  to  know 
Himself,  always  afterwards  He  is  more  than  any- 
thing anybody  ever  told  us,  and  more  than  we 
can  ever  tell. 


The  Eyes  of  the  Heart. 

Looking  at  Jesus — what  does  it  mean  prac- 
tically? It  means  hearing  about  Him  first,  then 
actually  appealing  to  Him,  accepting  His  word 
as  personal  to  one's  self,  putting  Him  to  the  test 
in  life,  trusting  His  death  to  square  up  one's  sin 
score,  trusting  His  power  to  clean  the  heart  and 


14  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

sweeten  the  spirit,  and  stiffen  the  will.  It  means 
holding  the  whole  life  up  to  His  ideals.  Aye,  it 
means  more  yet;  something  on  His  side,  an  an- 
swering look  from  Him.  There  comes  a  con- 
sciousness within  of  His  love  and  winsomeness. 
That  answering  look  of  His  holds  us  forever 
after  His  willing  slaves,  love's  slaves.  Paul 
speaks  of  the  eyes  of  the  heart.  It  is  with  these 
eyes  we  look  at  Him,  and  receive  His  answering 
look. 

There  are  different  ways  of  looking  at  Jesus, 
degrees  in  looking.  Our  experiences  with  Jesus 
affect  the  eyes  of  the  heart.  When  this  same 
John  as  an  old  man  was  writing  that  first  epistle, 
he  seems  to  recall  his  experience  in  looking  that 
first  day.  He  says  "that  which  we  have  seen 
with  our  eyes,  that  which  we  beheld/'^  From 
seeing  with  the  eyes  he  had  gone  to  earnest, 
thoughtful  gazing,  caught  with  the  vision  of  what 
he  saw.  That  was  John's  own  experience.  It 
is  everybody's  experience  that  gets  a  look  at 
Jesus.  When  the  first  looking  sees  something 
that  catches  fire  within,  then  does  the  inner  fire 
affect  the  eye  and  more  is  seen. 

You  have  been  in  a  strange  city  walking  down 
the  street,  looking  with  interest  at  what  is  there. 
But  all  at  once  you  are  caught  by  a  sign  that  con- 
tains a  familiar  name,  and  at  once  a  whole  flood 
of  memories  is  awakened. 

I  I  John  i:  1. 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         15 

The  little  Jericho  Jew  peering  down  from  the 
low  out-reaching  sycamore  branch  was  full  of 
curiosity  to  see  the  Man  that  had  changed  his  old 
friend  Levi  Matthew  so  strangely.  But  that 
curiosity  quickly  changes  into  something  far 
deeper  and  more  tender  as  Jesus  comes  to  abide 
in  his  own  home. 

That  lonely-lifed,  sore-hearted  woman  on  the 
Nain  road  looked  with  startled  wonder  out  of 
those  wet  eyes  of  hers  as  Jesus  begins  talking  to 
her  dead  son.  What  love  and  faith  must  have 
been  in  her  looking  as  Jesus  with  fine  touch 
brings  her  boy  by  the  hand  over  to  her  warm  em- 
brace again ! 


We  are  Changed. 

Looking  at  Jesus  changes  us.  Paul's  famous 
bit  in  the  second  Corinthian  letter  has  a  won- 
drous tingle  of  gladness  in  it.  "We  all  with 
open  face  beholding  as  in  a  mirror  the  glory  of 
the  Lord  are  changed  from  glory  to  glory."^  The 
change  comes  through  our  looking.  The  chang- 
ing power  comes  in  through  the  eyes.  It  is  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  that  is  seen.  The  glorious 
Jesus  looking  in  through  our  looking  eyes 
changes  us.  It  is  gradual.  It  is  ever  more,  and 
yet  more,  till  by  and  by  His  own  image  comes 
out  fully  in  our  faces. 

*  2  Corinthians  iii:  18. 


1 6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

We  become  like  those  with  whom  we  asso- 
ciate. A  man's  ideals  mold  him.  Living  with 
Jesus  makes  us  look  like  Himself.  We  are  fa- 
miliar with  the  work  that  has  been  done  in  re- 
storing old  fine  paintings.  A  painting  by  one  of 
the  rare  old  master  painters  is  found  covered 
with  the  dust  of  decades.  Time  has  faded  out 
much  of  the  fine  coloring  and  clearly  marked 
outlines.  With  great  patience  and  skill  it  is 
worked  over  and  over.  And  something  of  the 
original  beauty,  coming  to  view  again,  fully  re- 
pays the  workman  for  all  his  pains. 

The  original  image  in  which  we  were  made  has 
been  badly  obscured  and  faded  out.  But  if  we 
give  our  great  Master  a  chance  He  will  restore  it 
through  our  eyes.  It  will  take  much  patience 
and  a  skill  nothing  less  than  divine.  But  the 
original  will  surely  come  out  more  and  more  till 
we  shall  again  be  like  the  original,  for  we  shall 
see  Him  as  He  is. 

The  old  German  artist  Hoffmann  is  said  to 
visit  at  intervals  the  royal  gallery  in  Dresden, 
where  he  lives,  to  touch  up  his  paintings  there. 
Even  so  our  Master,  living  in  us,  keeps  touching 
us  up  that  the  full  beauty  of  His  ideal  may  be 
brought  out. 

How  often  a  girl  growing  up  into  the  fullness 
of  her  mature  young  womanhood  calls  out  the 
remark,  "You  are  growing  more  and  more  like 
your  mother."     And  the  similar  remark  is  heard 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         17 

of  a  young  man  developing  the  traits  and  fea- 
tures of  his  father. 

There  is  a  law  of  unconscious  assimilation. 
We  become  like  those  with  whom  we  go.  With- 
out being  conscious  of  it  we  take  on  the  character- 
istics of  those  with  whom  we  live.  I  remember 
one  time  my  brother  returned  home  for  a  visit 
after  a  prolonged  absence.  As  we  were  walking 
down  the  street  together  he  said  to  me,  "You 
have  been  going  with  Denning  a  good  deal" — a 
m.utual  friend  of  ours.  Surprised,  I  said,  "How 
do  you  know  I  have?"  He  said,  "You  walk  just 
like  him."  What  my  brother  had  said  was 
strictly  true,  though  he  did  not  know  it.  Our 
friend  had  a  very  decided  way  of  walking.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  we  had  been  walking  home  from 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  three  or 
four  nights  every  week.  And  unconsciously  I 
had  grown  to  imitate  his  way  of  walking. 

That  sentence  of  Paul's  has  also  this  mean- 
ing, "We  all  with  open  face  rejecting  as  in  a 
mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord  are  changed."  We 
stand  between  Him  and  those  who  don't  know 
Him.  We  are  the  mirror  catching  the  rays  of 
His  face  and  sending  them  down  to  those 
around.  And  not  only  do  those  around  see  the 
light — His  light — in  us,  but  we  are  being  changed 
all  the  while.  For  others'  sake  as  well  as  our 
own  the  mirror  should  be  kept  clean,  and  well 
polished  so  the  reflection  will  be  distinct  and  true. 


1 8  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

The  Outlook  Changed. 

Looking  at  Jesus  changes  the  world  for  us. 
It  is  as  though  the  light  of  His  eyes  fills  our  eyes 
and  we  see  things  all  around  as  He  sees  them. 
Have  you  ever  gone  out,  as  a  child,  and  looked 
intently  at  the  sun,  repressing  the  flinching  its 
strength  caused  and  insisting  on  looking?  You 
could  do  it  for  a  short  time  only.  It  made  your 
eyes  ache.  But  as  you  turned  your  eyes  away 
from  its  brilliance  you  found  everything  changed. 
You  remember  a  beautiful  yellow  glory-light  was 
over  everything,  and  every  ugly  jagged  thing  was 
softened  and  beautified  by  that  glow  in  your  eyes. 
Looking  at  the  sun  had  changed  the  world  for 
you  for  a  little. 

It  is  something  like  that  on  this  higher  plane,  in 
this  finer  sense.  That  must  have  been  something 
of  Paul's  thought  in  explaining  the  glory  of  Jesus 
that  he  saw  on  the  Damascus  road.  "When  I 
could  not  see  for  the  glory  of  that  light."  The 
old  ideals  were  blurred.  The  old  ambitions 
faded  away.  The  jagged,  sharp  lines  of  sacri- 
fice and  suffering  involved  in  his  new  life  were 
not  clearly  seen.  A  halo  had  come  over 
them. 

I  recall  a  bit  of  a  poem  I  ran  across  in  an  old 
magazine  somewhere.  It  was  one  of  those 
vagrant,  orphan  poems  with  fine  family  linea- 
ments that  find  their  way  unfathered  into  odd 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         19 

comers  of  papers.  It  told  about  a  man  riding  on 
horseback  through  a  bit  of  timber  land  in  one  of 
the  cotton  states  of  the  South. 

It  was  a  bright  October  day,  and  he  was  riding 
along  enjoying  the  air  and  view,  when  all  at 
once  he  came  across  a  bit  of  a  clearing  in  the 
trees,  and  in  the  clearing  an  old  cabin  almost 
fallen  to  pieces,  and  in  the  doorway  of  the  cabin 
an  old  negress  standing.  Her  back  was  bent 
nearly  double  with  the  years  of  hard  work,  her 
face  dried  up  and  deeply  bitten  with  wrinkles, 
and  her  hair  white.  But  her  eyes  were  as  bright 
as  two  stars  out  of  the  dark  blue,  it  said. 

And  the  man  called  out  cheerily,  "Good-morn- 
ing, auntie,  living  here  all  alone?"  And  she 
looked  up,  with  her  eyes  brighter  yet  with  the 
thought  in  her  heart,  and  in  a  shrill  keyed-up 
voice  said,  *'J^s  me  'n'  Jesus,  massa."  But  he 
said  a  hush  came  over  the  whole  place,  there 
seemed  a  halo  about  the  old  broken-down  cabin, 
and  he  thought  he  could  see  Somebody  standing 
by  her  side  looking  over  her  shoulder  at  him, 
and  His  form  was  like  that  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

How  poor  and  limited  and  mean  her  world 
looked  to  him  as  he  rode  up.  But  how  quickly 
everything  changed  as  he  saw  it  through  her 
seeing  of  it.  With  the  keen  insight  into  spirit 
things  so  often  found  in  such  simplicity  among 
her  race,  she  had  gotten  the  whole  simple  philos- 


20  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

ophy  of  life.  Her  world  was  changed  and  beau- 
tiful in  the  loneliness  of  the  woods  by  reason  of 
her  Master's  presence. 

This  removes  the  commonplace  at  once  clear 
out  of  one's  life.  There  is  no  drudgery  nor  hum- 
drum nor  hardship,  because  everything  is  for 
Jesus,  and  seen  through  His  eyes.  Whatever 
comes  in  the  pathway  of  his  work  is  gladdest 
joy,  whether  an  obscure  narrow  round  of  home 
work  or  shop  or  store,  or  leaving  home  for  a 
strange  land  far  across  the  sea  with  a  peculiarly 
uncongenial  spirit  atmosphere.  Contact  with 
Jesus,  seeing  Him,  changes  all  for  us. 

Talking  with  Jesus, 

These  two  men  in  the  story  went  from  their 
first  looking  into  closer  contact.  They  looked  at 
Jesus.  Then  they  talked  with  Jesus.  It  was  at 
His  own  request.  He  wanted  them.  He  wanted 
their  friendship  and  their  help.  Having  started, 
it  was  easy  for  them  to  go.  Having  seen,  they 
naturally  wanted  more.  At  least  two  hours  they 
talked,  maybe  longer.  Judging  by  what  they 
did  as  soon  as  they  got  away,  it  was  a  most 
wonderful  talk  for  them. 

This  Jesus  took  them  at  once.  His  face.  His 
presence,  His  talk,  Himself  filled  all  their  sky. 
Everything  swung  around  into  a  new  setting. 
He  was  its  center.     All  things  began  to  adjust 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         21 

themselves  for  these  men  about  Jesus.  He  was 
irresistible  to  them.  These  two  men  went 
through  some  most  trying  experiences  as  a  result 
of  the  friendship  formed  that  evening  hour,  but 
these  counted  not  in  the  scale  with  Him.  They 
never  got  over  the  talk  with  Him  that  twilight 
hour. 

That  two  hours*  talk  lengthened  out  into  many 
another  during  the  years  immediately  after. 
They  got  into  the  habit  of  referring  everything  to 
Him,  and  of  judging  everything  by  what  He 
would  think.  It  was  so  clear  to  the  end  of  their 
lives.  For  a  little  over  three  years  did  they 
keep  Him  by  their  side  actually,  physically.  But 
the  habit  of  keeping  Him  there  was  fixed  for  all 
the  longer  after  years.  The  looking  at  Jesus  and 
talking  with  Jesus  ever  went  side  by  side  clear 
to  the  end  of  the  years. 

It  will  be  so.  Getting  a  good  look  at  this 
Master  draws  one  off  into  the  quiet  corner  with 
the  Book  to  listen  and  talk  and  learn  more.  And 
cue  of  this  naturally  grows  (if  one  will  give  a 
litrle  attention  to  good  gardening  rules)  the  habit 
ox  talking  with  Him  all  the  time.  In  the  thick  of 
the  crowd,  in  the  solitude  of  one's  duties,  with 
hands  full  of  work,  the  heart  talks  with  Him  and 
listens,  and  sometimes  the  tongue  talks  out  too. 
Our  common  word  for  it  is  prayer.  Prayer  pre- 
cedes true  service,  and  produces  it,  and  sweetens 
it.     Only  the  service  that  grows  up  naturally  out 


22  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

of  this  personal  contact  with  Jesus  counts  and 
tells  and  weighs  for  the  most. 


Getting  Somebody  Else, 

These  two  men  went  away  from  Jesus  that 
evening  only  to  come  back  with  some  others. 
They  went  from  talking  with  Him  to  talking 
with  others  for  Him.  Their  personal  contact 
was  the  beginning  of  their  service.  This  is  one 
of  the  famous  personal  work  chapters.  There 
are  three  "findeths"  in  it.  Andrew  findeth  his 
brother  Peter.  That  was  a  great  find.  John  in 
his  modesty  doesn't  speak  of  it,  but  in  all  likeli- 
hood he  findeth  James  his  brother.  Jesus  findeth 
Philip  and  Philip  in  turn  findeth  Nathaniel,  the 
guileless  man. 

That  word  findeth  is  very  suggestive,  even  to 
being  picturesque.  It  tells  the  absence  of  these 
other  men.  Their  whereabouts  might  be  guessed, 
but  were  not  known.  There  was  in  the  search- 
ers a  purpose,  and  a  warmth  in  the  heart  under 
that  purpose.  As  Andrew  looked  and  listened 
he  said  to  himself,  "Peter  must  hear  this ;  Peter 
must  see  this  Man."  And  perhaps  he  asks  to  be 
excused  and,  reaching  for  his  hat,  hastens  out  to 
get  his  brother  and  bring  him  back  to  the  house. 
He  wants  more  himself,  but  he'll  get  it  with 
Peter  in  too.  And  so  it  would  be  with  John 
likely. 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         2^ 

Peter  had  to  be  searched  for.  Most  men  do: 
He  was  probably  absorbed  with  all  his  impulsive 
intensity  in  some  matter  on  hand.  May  be  An- 
drew had  to  pull  quite  a  bit  to  get  him  started. 
But  he  got  him.  Andrew  was  a  good  sticker; 
hard  to  shake  him  off.  His  is  a  fine  name  for 
a  brotherhood  of  personal  workers.  And  when 
Peter  once  got  started  he  never  quit  going.  He 
stumbled  some,  but  he  got  up,  and  got  up  only  to 
go  on.  Most  men  need  some  one  to  get 
them  started.  There's  need  of  more  starters, 
more  of  us  starting  people  moving  Jesus' 
way. 

I  think  the  memory  of  this  evening's  work  with 
Peter  must  have  come  back  very  vividly  to  An- 
drew one  morning  a  few  years  afterwards.  It's 
up  on  the  hills  of  Judea,  in  Jerusalem.  There's  a 
great  crowd  of  people  standing  in  the  streets, 
filling  the  space  for  a  great  distance.  There  are 
some  thousands  of  them.  They  are  listening  spell- 
bound to  a  man  talking.  It  is  Peter.  And  down 
there  near  by,  maybe  holding  Peter's  hat  while 
he  talks,  is  Andrew.  His  eyes  are  glowing. 
And  if  you  might  listen  to  his  heart  talking,  I 
think  you  would  hear  it  saying  softly,  'T'm  so 
glad  I  brought  Peter  that  evening  I  met  Jesus." 
Peter's  talk  that  day  swung  three  thousand  men 
and  women  over  to  Jesus.  Somebody  has  said 
that  if  Peter  were  their  spiritual  father,  certainly 
Andrew  was  their   spiritual  grandfather.     And 


24  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

I  think  God  reckons  the  thing  that  way, 
too. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  good  talk  these  days 
about  regenerating  society.  It  used  to  be  that 
men  talked  about  "reaching  the  masses."  Now 
the  other  putting  of  it  is  commoner.  It  is  help- 
ful talk  whichever  way  it  is  put.  The  Gospel  of 
Jesus  is  to  affect  all  society.  It  has  affected  all 
society,  and  is  to  more  and  more.  But  the  thing 
to  mark  keenly  is  this,  the  key  to  the  mass  is  the 
man.  The  way  to  regenerate  society  is  to  start 
on  the  individual. 

The  law  of  influence  through  personal  contact 
is  too  tremendous  to  be  grasped.  You  influence 
one  man  and  you  have  influenced  a  group  of  men, 
and  then  a  group  around  each  man  of  the  group, 
and  so  on  endlessly.  Hand-picked  fruit  gets  the 
first  and  best  market.  The  keenest  marksmen 
{ire  picked  out  for  the  sharpshooters'  corps. 

^he  True  Source  of  Strong  Service. 

One  morning  with  a  friend  I  walked  out  of 
the  city  of  Geneva  to  where  the  waters  of  the 
lake  flow  with  swift  rush  into  the  Rhone.  And 
we  were  both  greatly  interested  in  the  strange 
sight  which  has  impressed  so  many  travellers. 
There  are  two  rivers  whose  waters  come  together 
here,  the  Rhone  and  the  Arve,  the  Arve  flowing 
into  the  Rhone.     The  waters  of  the  Rhone  are 


Personal  Contact  with  Jesus.         25 

beautifully  clear  and  sparkling-.  The  waters  of 
the  Arve  come  through  a  clayey  soil  and  are 
muddy,  gray,  and  dull.  And  for  a  long  distance 
the  two  waters  are  wholly  distinct.  Two  rivers 
of  water  are  in  one  river-bed,  on  one  side  the 
sparkling  blue  Rhone  water,  on  the  other  the 
dull  gray  Arve  water,  and  the  line  between  the 
two  sharply  defined.  And  so  it  continues  for  a 
long  distance.  Then  gradually  they  blend  and 
the  gray  begins  to  tinge  all  through  the 
blue. 

I  went  to  the  guide-book  and  maps  to  find  out 
something  about  this  river  that  kept  on  its  way 
undefiled  by  its  neighbor  for  so  long.  Its  source 
is  in  a  glacier  that  is  between  ten  thousand  and 
eleven  thousand  feet  high,  descending  "from  the 
gates  of  eternal  night,  at  the  foot  of  the  pillar 
of  the  sun."  It  is  fed  continually  by  the  melting 
glacier  which,  in  turn,  is  being  kept  up  by  the 
snows  and  cold.  Rising  at  this  great  height,  ever 
being  renewed  steadily  by  the  glacier,  it  comes 
rushing  down  the  swift  descent  of  the  Swiss  Alps 
through  the  lake  of  Geneva  and  on.  There  is  the 
secret  of  purity,  side  by  side  with  its  dirty 
neighbor. 

Our  lives  must  have  their  source  high  up  in  the 
mountains  of  God,  fed  by  a  ceaseless  supply. 
Only  so  can  there  be  the  purity,  and  the  mo- 
mentum that  shall  keep  us  pure,  and  keep  us 
moving  down  in  contact  with  men  of  the  earth* 


a6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

And  we  must  keep  closer  to  the  source  than  is  the 
Rhone  at  Geneva,  else  the  streams  flowing  along- 
side will  unduly  influence  us.  Constant  personal 
contact  with  Jesus  is  the  beginning  ever  new  of 
service. 


THE    TRIPLE    LIFE:     THE    PER- 
SPECTIVE   OF    SERVICE. 


On  An  Errand  for  Jesus. 

The  Parting  Message. 

A  Secret  Life  of  Prayer. 

An  Open  Life  of  Purity. 

An  Active  Life  of  Service. 

The  Perspective  of  True  Service, 

A  Long  Time  Coming. 


THE  TRIPLE  LIFE:    THE  PER- 
SPECTIVE OF  SERVICE. 

(Luke  ix  :  1-6  ;  X ;  1-3,  17  ;  John  xx  :  19-23 ; 
Matthew  xxviii :  18-20.) 


On  An  Errand  for  Jesus. 

You  remember  there  were  four  times  that 
Jesus  picked  out  a  group  of  men,  and  sent  them 
on  a  special  errand.  About  the  middle  of  the 
second  year  of  His  public  life,  He  chose  out 
twelve  men  and  commissioned  them  for  a  special 
bit  of  work.  Six  months  before  the  tragpic  end, 
He  chose  seventy  others  and  sent  them  out  in 
twos  into  all  the  places  He  was  planning  to  visit 
Himself.  It  was  a  remarkable  campaign  for 
carrying  the  news  which  He  was  preaching  into 
all  the  villages  of  that  whole  country  through 
which  His  journey  south  lay. 

Then  the  evening  of  that  never-to-be-forgot- 
ten resurrection  day,  under  wholly  changed  con- 
ditions. He  again  commissions  ten  men  of  that 
first  twelve.  Things  had  radically  changed  with 
Jesus.  And  there  had  been  a  bad  break  in  the 
loyalty  of  these  men.  Two  of  their  number  are 
39 


30  Quiet  Tallcs  on  Service. 

absent.  Judas  has  gone  to  his  own  place,  and 
Thomas  was  not  there  that  evening.  His  ab- 
sence cost  him  a  week  of  doubting  and  mental 
distress.  Ten  of  the  old  inner  circle  are  com- 
missioned anew.  And  then  do  you  remember 
the  last  time  they  were  together?  It  was  about 
six  weeks  later,  on  the  rounded  top  of  the  old 
Olives  Mount,  the  eleven  men  with  the  Master. 
Four  times  He  commissioned  a  group  of  men 
for  some  service  He  wanted  done. 

There  are  two  things  in  these  four  commis- 
sions that  make  them  alike.  The  same  two  things 
are  in  each.  The  first  thing  is  this :  they  are 
bidden  to  ''go."  That  ringing  word  "go  ye"  is 
in,  each  time.  "As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me  even 
so  send  I  you."  It  is  a  familiar  word  to  every 
follower  of  Jesus  then,  and  now,  and  always. 
A  true  follower  of  His  always  is  stirred  by  a 
spirit  of  ''go!'  A  going  Christian  is  a  growing 
Christian.  A  going  church  has  always  been 
a  growing  church.  Those  ages  when  the 
church  lost  the  vision  of  her  Master's  face  on 
Olives,  and  let  other  sounds  crowd  out  of  her 
ears  the  sound  of  His  voice,  were  stagnant  ages. 
They  are  commonly  spoken  of  in  history  as  the 
dark  ages.  "Go"  is  the  ringing  keynote  of  the 
Christian  life,  whether  in  a  man  oi  'n  the  church. 

The  second  thing  found  always  in  each  of 
these  commissions  is  this :  they  were  qualified,  or 
empowered  to  go.    Whom  God  calls  He  always 


The  Triple  Life.  31 

qualifies.  Where  His  voice  comes  His  Spirit 
breathes.  If  there  has  come  to  you  some  bit  of 
a  call  to  service,  to  teach  a  class,  or  write  a  spe- 
cial letter,  or  speak  a  word,  or  take  up  something 
needing  to  be  done.  And  you  hesitate.  You 
think  that  you  cannot.  You  are  not  fit,  you 
think,  not  qualified.  The  thing  to  do  is  to  do  it. 
If  the  call  is  clear  go  ahead.  Need  is  one  of 
the  strong  calling  voices  of  God.  It  is  always 
safe  to  respond.  Put  out  your  foot  in  the  an- 
swering swing,  even  though  you  cannot  see 
clearly  the  place  to  put  it  down.  God  attends  to 
that  part.    Power  comes  as  we  go. 

The  Parting  Message. 

Just  now  I  want  to  talk  with  you  a  bit  about 
the  last  one  of  these  commissions,  the  Olivet 
commission.  I  do  not  know  just  what  day  it 
was  given  or  at  what  hour.  But  I  have  thought 
it  was  in  the  twilight  of  a  Sabbath  evening. 
There's  a  yellow  glow  of  light  filling  all  the 
western  sky  running  along  the  broken  line  of 
those  hills  yonder,  and  through  the  trees,  and  in 
upon  this  group  of  men  standing. 

Here  in  full  view  lies  little  Bethany  fragrant 
with  memories  of  Jesus'  power.  Over  yonder, 
those  tree  tops  down  in  a  bit  of  valley  with  the 
brook — that  is  Gethsemane.  And  farther  over 
there  is  the  fortress   city   of  Jerusalem.     And 


32  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

just  outside  its  wall  is  the  bit  of  a  knoll  called 
Calvary.  Here  under  these  trees  every  night 
that  last  week  of  the  tragedy  Jesus  had  slept 
out  in  the  open,  with  His  seamless  coat  wrapped 
about  Him.  This  is  the  spot  He  chooses  for  the 
good-by  word.  It  is  full  of  most  precious,  fra- 
grant memories. 

Here  is  the  man  who  has  been  Simon,  but  out 
of  whom  a  new  man  was  coming  these  days, 
Peter,  the  man  of  rock.  And  here  are 'John  and 
James,  sons  of  fire  and  of  thunder,  sons  of  their 
mother.  And  there,  little  Scotch  Andrew.  At 
least  our  Scotch  friends  seem  to  have  adopted 
him  as  their  very  own.  And  close  by  his  side  is 
his  friend  with  the  Greek  name,  Philip.  And 
here  the  man  to  whom  Jesus  paid  the  great  trib- 
ute of  naming  him  the  guileless  man. 

And  the  others,  not  so  well  known  to  us,  but 
very  well  known  to  Jesus,  and  to  be  not  a  whit 
less  faithful  than  their  brothers  these  coming 
days.  But  somehow  as  you  look  you  are  at  once 
irresistibly  drawn  past  these  to  Him — the  Man  in 
the  midst.  The  Man  with  the  great  face,  torn 
with  the  thorns,  and  cut  with  the  thongs,  but 
shining  with  a  sweet,  wondrous,  beauty  light. 

It  is  the  last  time  they  are  together.  He  is 
going  away ;  coming  back  soon,  they  understand. 
They  do  not  know  just  how  soon.  But  mean- 
while in  His  absence  they  are  to  be  as  He  Him- 
self would  be  if  He  remained  among  men.    They 


The  Triple  Life.  33 

arc  to  stand  for  Him.  And  so  with  eyes  fixed 
on  His  face  they  look,  and  listen,  and  wonder  a 
bit,  just  what  the  last  word  will  be. 

What  would  you  expect  it  to  be?  It  was  the 
good-by  word  between  men  who  were  lovers, 
dearest  friends.  The  tenderest  thing  would 
be  said  and  the  most  important  The  one  going 
away  would  speak  of  that  which  lay  closest 
down  in  His  own  heart.  And  whatever  He 
might  say  would  sink  deepest  into  their  hearts, 
and  control  their  action  in  the  after  days. 

He  had  been  talking  to  them  very  insistently, 
about  an  hour  before,  down  in  the  city,  about 
waiting  there  until  the  Holy  Spirit  came  upon 
them.  And  that  word  has  fastened  itself  into 
their  minds  with  newly  sharpened  hooks  of  steel 
points.  Now  He  talks  about  their  being  His 
witnesses,  here  at  home  among  their  own  folks, 
and  out  among  their  half-breed  Samaritan  neigh- 
bors, whom  they  didn't  like,  and  then — with  eyes 
looking  yearningly  out  and  finger  pointing 
steadily  out — ^to  the  farthest  reach  of  the  planet. 
And  now,  as  He  is  about  to  go,  this  is  the  word 
that  comes  from  those  lips : 

"All  power  hath  been  given  unto  Me. 

Therefore  go  ye. 
And  make  disciples  of  all  nations.'' 


34  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

'A  Secret  Life  of  Prayer, 

There  are  four  things  in  that  good-by  word. 
Three  are  directly  spoken,  and  one  is  not  spoken, 
but  directly  implied.  First  is  this,  your  chief 
work  is  to  win  men.  That  is  directly  said.  The 
second  is  implied — it  is  the  toughest  task  you 
ever  undertook.  That  is  implied  in  this  that  it 
will  take  more  power  than  they  have.  A  power 
that  only  He  has.  A  supernatural  power.  And 
we  all  know  how  true  that  is.  Of  all  luggage 
man  is  the  hardest  to  move.  He  won't  move  un- 
less he  will.  Every  man  of  us  that  has  ever  tried 
to  change  somebody's  else  purpose  knows  how 
impossible  it  is  unless  by  the  inward  pull.  You 
simply  cannot  without  the  man's  consent.  The 
third  thing  is  this :  I  have  all  the  power  needed. 
The  fourth  this :  You  go. 

And  the  Master  meant  to  tell  them,  and  to  tell 
us,  this:  that  a  man  should  lead  a  triple  life, 
three  lives  in  one.  We  sometimes  hear  of  a  man 
leading  a  double  life  in  a  bad  sense.  In  a  good 
sense,  every  one  of  us  should  be  living  a  triple 
life,  three  distinct  lives  in  one.  The  first  of  these 
three  lives  is  this :  a  secret  life,  lived  with  Jesus, 
hidden  from  the  eyes  of  men.  An  inner  life  of 
closest  contact  with  Him,  that  the  outside  folks 
know  nothing  about. 

Notice  again  the  four  statements  in  that  good- 
by  word.    Your  chief  concern  is  to  win  men. 


The  Triple  Life.  35 

It  is  the  toughest  task  you  ever  undertook :  it 
will  take  supernatural  power.  I  have  all  the 
power  you  need.  Instinctively  you  feel  as 
though  the  fourth  thing  should  be,  "I  will  go." 
That  would  seem  to  be  the  logical  conclusion. 
*'No,"  Jesus  says,  ''you  go."  Plainly  if  we  are 
to  do  something  taking  supernatural  power,  and 
we  haven't  any  such  power  of  ourselves,  there 
must  be  the  closest  kind  oi  contact  with  the 
source  of  power.  The  man  who  is  to  go  must 
be  in  the  most  intimate  contact  with  the  Man 
who  has  the  powers  needed  in  the  going. 

And  this  is  simply  a  law  of  all  life,  given  to  us 
here  by  life's  greatest  Philosopher.  The  seen 
depends  upon  the  secret  always.  The  outer 
keys  upon  the  inner.  The  life  that  men  see  de- 
pends wholly  upon  the  life  that  only  the  Master 
sees.  David  had  power  to  slay  the  lion  and  bear 
in  secret,  away  from  the  gaze  of  men,  before 
he  had  power  to  slay  the  giant  before  the  won- 
dering eyes  of  two  nations.  The  closet  becomes 
the  swivel  of  the  street. 

In  crossing  the  ocean  there  are  two  great  dan- 
gers to  be  dreaded  and  guarded  against,  aside 
from  the  storms  that  may  arise.  The  greater  of 
these  is  an  abandoned  ship.  One  that  through 
some  stress  of  storm  has  been  left  by  the  sailors 
in  the  attempt  to  save  their  lives.  It  is  most  dan- 
gerous because  it  sends  no  warning  ahead  of  its 
presence.     In  crossing  the  Atlantic  by  the  more 


36  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

northern  routes  the  other  danger  is  from  the  ice- 
bergs that  may  be  met  in  the  steamer's  path.  If 
a  fog  obscure  the  lookout  the  boat  is  slowed 
down,  and  a  man  kept  busy  with  line  and 
thermometer  taking  the  temperature  of  the 
water.  The  iceberg  is  kindlier  than  the  derelict, 
in  the  chill  it  sends  out.  The  presence  of  the 
danger  can  so  be  detected,  and  measures  taken 
to  avoid  it. 

But  the  great  danger  here  is  not  simply  in  the 
huge  mountain  of  ice  that  you  see  looming  up 
against  the  sky,  great  as  that  is.  It  is 
in  the  unseen  ice.  Hidden  away  below  is  a 
mountain  of  ice  twice  as  large  and  heavy  as  that 
seen  above  the  water's  surface.  The  danger 
lies  in  the  terrific  force  of  a  blow  from  this  hid- 
den pile  that  would  crush  the  strongest  steel 
steamer,  as  I  might  crush  an  egg-shell  in  my 
fingers. 

We  all  admire  the  beauty  of  the  trees  that  rear 
their  heads,  and  send  out  their  branches,  and 
make  the  world  so  beautiful  with  their  soft  green 
foliage.  But  have  you  thought  of  the  twin  tree, 
the  unseen  tree  that  belongs  to  these  we  see? 
For  every  tree  that  grows  up  and  out  with  its 
beauty  and  fruit  there  is  another.  The  twin  tree 
goes  down  and  out. 

Sometimes,  as  far  as  this  we  see  goes  up,  the 
other  goes  down;  as  far  as  the  branches  go  out 
so  far  do  the  underneath  branches  go  out,  some- 


The  Triple  Life.  37 

times  farther.  This  unseen  tree  is  ever  busy 
drawing  moisture,  and  food  from  the  soil  and 
sending  it,  ceaselessly  sending  it,  up  to  the  upper 
tree.  The  beauty  and  fruitfulness  above  are 
because  of  this  secret  life  of  the  tree. 

I  remember  as  a  boy  going  to  the  bathroom  in 
our  home  one  day  to  draw  some  water.  But 
none  came.  There  were  a  few  drops,  and  some 
sputtering — ^there's  very  apt  to  be  sputtering 
when  there  is  nothing  else — but  no  flow  of  water. 
And  I  wondered  why.  Soon  I  found  that  the 
main  pipe  in  the  street  was  being  fixed,  and  the 
water  had  been  cut  off  at  the  curb.  There  was 
water  in  the  pipe  clear  from  the  curbstone  up  to 
the  spigot,  but  I  could  not  get  it  because  the 
reservoir  connection  under  the  ground  had  been 
turned  off. 

I  have  met  some  people  since  then  that  made 
me  think  of  that.  There  is  a  reservoir  of  water, 
clear  and  sweet,  with  which  they  have  had  con- 
nection, and  are  supposed  still  to  have.  But 
when  some  thirsty  body  comes  up  for  a  bit  of 
refreshment,  there's  some  sputtering,  some 
noise,  may  be  a  few  stray  drops — ^but  no  more. 
And  folks  seem  thirstier  because  they  were  ex- 
pecting a  cool,  satisfying  drink  that  never  came. 

I  think  I  know  why  it  is  so.  The  secret  con- 
nection with  the  reservoir  has  been  tampered 
with.  There  must  be  the  secret  contact  with 
Jesus  cultivated  habitually  if  there  is  to  b«  a 


38  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

sweet,  strong  outer  life.  And  not  cultivated  by 
hothouse  methods.  Such  plants  won't  stand  the 
chilly  air  outside  the  glass-house.  Cultivated  by 
natural,  simple  contact  with  Jesus,  over  His 
Word,  habitually,  until  everything  comes  under 
the  influence  of  that  secret  life. 

One  day  a  man  was  standing  on  a  busy  down- 
town thoroughfare  in  Cleveland  waiting  for  at 
car.  There  was  a  thick,  dirty  wire  hanging 
down  from  the  cross  arm  high  up  of  the  wire 
pole.  He  happened  to  stop  there.  And  ab- 
sorbed in  thought,  he  mechanically  put  out  his 
hand  and  took  hold  of  the  wire.  Instantly  a 
look  of  intense  agony  came  into  his  face.  His 
arm,  and  whole  body  began  twisting  and  writh- 
ing. Then  he  fell  to  the  ground  lifeless.  The 
dirty-looking  wire  had  direct  connections  with 
the  power-house.  It  was  throbbing  with  a 
strong  current.     It  was  a  "live"  wire. 

Some  men  who  have  seemed  quite  unattractive 
in  the  light  of  some  modern  standards  have  been 
found  on  touch  to  be  charged  with  a  life  current 
of  tremendous  power.  And  some  others,  out- 
wardly more  attractive,  have  been  found  to  be  as 
powerless  as  a  dead  wire.  And  some  there  have 
been,  and  are,  very  winsome  and  attractive  in 
themselves,  and  charged  with  the  life  current 
too.  The  great  thing  is  the  secret  connections 
carefully  maintained  with  the  source  of  power. 

There  must  be  the  closest  kind  of  touch  with 


The  Triple  Life.  39 

God  if  His  plan  through  us  for  a  planet  is  to 
carry  out.  We  do  not  run  on  the  storage  bat- 
tery plan,  but  on  the  trolley  plan,  or  the  third 
rail.  There  must  be  constant  full  touch  with  the 
feed  wire  or  rail.  And  that  *'must'*  should  be 
spelled  in  capitals,  and  printed  in  red,  and 
triply  underscored. 

A  man  must  plan  for  the  bit  of  quiet  time 
daily,  preferably  in  the  early  morning,  alone 
with  Jesus;  with  the  door  shut,  the  Book  open, 
the  spirit  quiet,  the  mind  alert,  the  knee  bent, 
the  will  bent  too.  If  it  be  resolutely  planned  for 
it  can  be  gotten  in  every  life.  If  not  planned 
for  with  a  bit  of  red  iron  in  the  will,  it  will  surely 
slip  out.     And  the  man  will  surely  slip  down. 

Here  is  fpund  the  spirit  in  which  a  man  may 
live  all  the  day  long,  wherever  his  feet  may 
tread,  in  the  fierce  competition  of  trade,  or  in  the 
deadly  enervation  of  some  society  circles.  Out 
of  such  a  man  shall  breathe,  all  unconsciously  to 
himself,  an  atmosphere  fragrant  as  a  mountain 
breeze  over  a  field  of  wild  roses.  This  is  the 
first  life  Jesus  bids  us  live. 

An  Open  Life  of  Purity. 

The  second  life  we  are  to  live  is  the  exact 
reverse  of  this.  It  is  indeed  the  outer  side  of 
this :  an  open  life  of  purity  lived  among  men 
for  Jesus.     Note  again  the  logic  of  that  good- 


40  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

by  word.  Your  chief  business  is  to  be  down 
there  in  the  thick  of  the  crowd,  winning  men 
out  of  the  dust  and  dirt  up  into  a  new  Hfe  of 
purity.  It  is  the  hardest  job  any  man  ever  un- 
dertook. It  is  practically  impossible  unless  you 
have  a  power  quite  more  than  human.  Jesus 
quietly  says,  *1  have  the  power  that  will  do  it." 

Again  you  feel  that  He  must  say  next,  "7  will 
go."  The  thing  must  be  done.  It  is  the  one 
thing  worth  while.  It  will  require  a  power  we 
haven't.  He  has  it.  You  feel  as  though  He 
must  do  the  going.  "No,"  He  says,  with  great 
emphasis.  "You  go.  You  be  I;  you  live  my 
life  over  again,  down  there  among  men."  The 
"Ye"  and  "Me"  in  that  sentence  are  meant  to  be 
interchangeable  words. 

He  is  asking  us  to  live  His  life  over  again 
among  men.  No,  it  is  more  than  that.  He  is 
asking  us  to  let  Him  live  His  life  over  again  in 
each  of  us.  The  Man  with  the  power  that  men 
can't  resist  would  reach  out  to  them  through  us. 
He  would  be  touching  them  in  us.  Jesus  said, 
"As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I 
you."  He  said  again,  "He  that  hath  seen  Me 
hath  seen  the  Father."  Jesus  embodied  the 
Father  to  men.  He  asks  us  to  take  His  place 
and  embody  Himself  to  men. 

Paul  understood  this  thoroughly.  In  writing 
to  the  friends  throughout  Galatia,  whom  he  had 
won  up  to  Jesus,  he  says,  "I  have  been  crucified 


The  Triple  Life.  41 

with  Christ."  There  is  an  old  dead  "I." 
"Nevertheless  I  live."  There  is  a  new  living  "I." 
"Yet  not  I— the  old  I— but  Christ  liveth  in  me." 
He  was  the  new  I.  There  was  a  new  person- 
ality within  Paul.  I  never  weary  of  recalling 
what  Martin  Luther  said  about  that  verse  in 
the  comment  he  made  on  Galatians.  You  re- 
member he  said,  "If  somebody  should  knock  at 
my  heart's  door,  and  ask  who  lives  here,  I 
must  not  say  'Martin  Luther  Hves  here.'  I 
would  say  'Martin  Luther — is — dead — ^Jesus — 
Christ — lives — here.'  " 

I  wonder  if  any  of  us  has  ever  been  taken  for 
Jesus.  I  wonder  if  anybody  has  ever  mistaken 
any  of  us  for  Him.  You  remember.  He  used  to 
move  among  men  after  the  resurrection,  and 
while  they  would  feel  the  gentle  winsomeness  of 
His  presence  and  talk,  they  did  not  recognize 
Him.  Has  somebody  run  across  you  or  me 
sometime,  and  been  with  us  a  little  while,  and 
then  gone  away  saying  to  himself,  "I  wonder  if 
that  was  Jesus  back  again  in  disguise.  He 
seemed  so  much  like  what  I  think  Jesus  must 
have  been — I  wonder." 

Well,  if  it  were  so,  of  course  we  would  not 
be  conscious  of  it.  A  Jesus-man  is  never  ab- 
sorbed in  thinking  about  himself.  He  is  taken 
up  with  Jesus,  and  with  folks.  A  man  is  always 
least  conscious  of  the  power  of  his  own  presence 
and  life.    Everybody  else  knows  more  about  it 


42  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

than  he  does.  Plainly  this  is  the  Master's  plan 
for  each  of  us.  And  more,  it  is  the  result  when 
He  is  allowed  free  sway. 

The  controlling  principle  of  His  life  was  to 
please  His  Father.  The  pervading  purpose  and 
passion  was  to  win  men  out  and  up.  The  char- 
acteristics of  His  life  were  purity,  unselfishness, 
sympathy,  and  simplicity.  We  are  to  be  as  He. 
He  was  the  Father  to  all  the  race  of  men. 
Each  of  us  is  to  be  Jesus  to  his  circle. 

Please  notice  Fm  not  talking  about  lips  just 
now  but  about  lives.  The  life  is  the  indorse- 
ment of  the  lips.  It  makes  the  words  of  the  lips 
more  than  they  sound  or  seem.  Or,  it  makes 
them  less,  sometimes  pitiably  less,  little  more 
than  a  discount  clerk  ever  busily  at  work.  The 
words  ever  go  to  the  level  of  the  life,  up  or 
down.  Water  seeks  its  level  persistently.  So 
do  one's  words,  and  they  find  it  more  quickly 
than  the  water,  for  they  go  through  all  obstruc- 
tions. And  the  life  is  the  leveler  of  the  words, 
up  or  down. 

So  far  as  this  second  life  is  concerned  a  man's 
lips  might  be  sealed,  and  his  tongue  dumb,  but 
his  life  in  its  purity  and  simplicity,  its  unself- 
ishness and  sympathetic  warmness  will  ever  be 
spelling  out  Jesus.  And  He  will  be  spelled  out 
so  big  and  plain  that  the  man  hurriedly  running, 
or  lazily  creeping,  or  half  blind  in  a  cloud  of 
dust,  will  be   stopping  and  reading.     If  there 


The  Triple  Life.  43 

were   but   more   re-incarnations   of   Jesus   how 
folks  would  be  coming  a-running  to  Him. 

Do  you  remember  that  prayer  in  blank  verse 
of  the  old  Scottish  preacher  and  poet  and  saint, 
Horatius  Bonar?    He  said: 

"  Oh,  turn  me,  mould  me,  mellow  me  for  use. 
Pervade  my  being  with  Thy  vital  force, 
That  this  else  inexpressive  life  of  mine 
May  become  eloquent  and  full  of  power, 
Impregnated  with  life  and  strength  divine. 
Put  the  bright  torch  of  heaven  into  my  hand, 
That  I  may  carry  it  aloft 

And  win  the  eye  of  weary  wanderers  here  below 
To  guide  their  feet  into  the  paths  of  peace. 
I  cannot  raise  the  dead, 
Nor  from  this  soil  pluck  precious  dust, 
Nor  bid  the  sleeper  wake. 

Nor  still  the  storm,  nor  bend  the  lightning  back, 
Nor  muffle  up  the  thunder. 

Nor  bid  the  chains  fall  from  off  creation's  long  en- 
fettered limbs. 
But  I  can  live  a  life  that  tells  on  other  lives, 
And  makes  this  world  less  full  of  anguish  and  of  pain; 
A  life  that  like  the  pebble  dropped  upon  the  sea 
Sends  its  wide  circles  to  a  hundred  shores. 
May  such  a  life  be  mine. 

Creator  of  true  life.  Thyself  the  life  Thou  givest. 
Give  Thyself,  that  Thou  mayst  dwell  in  me,  and  I 
in  Thee." 


'An  Active  Life  of  Service. 

The  third  life  is  a  life  of  active  service,  of 
aggressive  earnestness  in  winning  men.     I  say 


44  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

aggressive.  That  word  does  not  mean  noise 
and  dust,  shuffling  of  feet,  and  bustling  confu- 
sion. It  means  rather  the  steady,  steady  move- 
ment of  the  sun  which  noiselessly,  dustlessly, 
moves  onward,  hour  after  hour,  day  in  and  day 
out,  regardless  of  any  storms,  or  disturbances. 
It  means  the  quiet,  peaceful,  but  resistless  unin- 
terrupted movement  of  the  moon  rising  night 
after  night,  and  going  through  its  circle  of  ac- 
tion. Earnestness  means  the  burning  of  the 
inner  spirit.  Its  fires  dim  not,  for  they  are  fed 
continually  from  secret  sources. 

This  third  life  is  spoken  of  directly :  "Go  ye  and 
make  disciples."  The  going  is  to  be  continued 
until  folks  farthest  away  have  heard.  Some  peo- 
ple are  bounded  by  the  horizon  of  the  town 
where  they  live,  some  by  the  particular  church 
to  which  they  belong,  some  the  denomination, 
some  the  state,  or  even  the  nation.  Jesus  fixes 
the  horizon  of  His  follower  as  that  of  the  world. 
Jesus  was  visionary.  He  talked  about  all  na- 
tions, a  race,  a  world. 

All  are  to  go.  They  are  to  go  to  all.  Some 
may  be  made  wholly  free,  by  arrangement  with 
their  fellow-followers,  to  give  their  full  strength 
and  time  to  the  direct  going  and  telling.  These 
are  highly  favored  in  privilege.  Some  of  these 
may  go  to  deserted  darkened  places  in  the  home 
land.  Some  may  go  to  the  city  slum,  which  in 
its  dire  need  is  of  close  kin  to  the  foreign-mis- 


The  Triple  Life.  45 

sion  land.  These  are  yet  more  highly  favored 
in  privilege. 

Some  may  go  to  those  far  distant  lands  where 
Jesus  is  not  known,  where  the  need  of  Him  is 
so  pathetically  great.  These  are  the  most  highly 
favored  in  the  privilege  of  service  accorded 
them.  Many  others  have  been  left  free  of  the 
necessity  of  earning  bread  and  home  and  cloth- 
ing and  so  have  a  rare  opportunity  of  devoting 
themselves  to  the  going,  as  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
guides.  Many  are  given  the  talent  to  earn  easily, 
and  so,  if  they  will,  may  give  much  strength  to 
service. 

The  great  majority  everywhere  and  always 
are  absorbed  for  most  of  the  waking  hours  of 
the  day  in  earning  something  to  eat,  and  some- 
thing to  wear,  and  somewhere  to  sleep.  Yet 
where  there  is  the  warm  touch  with  Jesus  there 
will  come  the  yearning  for  purity,  and  the  life 
of  service.  With  these  as  with  all  there  may 
be  the  service,  strong  and  sweetly  fragrant. 
There  is  always  some  bit  of  spare  time,  with 
planning,  that  can  be  used  in  direct  service  in 
church,  or  school,  or  mission.  And  the  secret 
life  of  prayer  will  give  a  steadiness  that  will 
guard  against  the  over-use  of  one's  strength. 

There  can  be  a  personal  going  to  some  in 
words  tactfully  spoken.  There  is  the  life  of 
sweet  purity  and  gentle  patience  always  so  win- 
some, that  speaks  all  the  time  in  musical  tones 


46  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

to  one's  circle.  There  is  an  enormous,  uncon- 
scious aggressiveness  about  such  a  life.  Then 
there  can  be  the  going  through  gold.  And 
the  entire  planet  can  be  brought  under  one's 
thumb  of  influence  through  the  strangely  simple 
power  of  prayer. 

I  have  been  running  across  some  new  versions 
of  this  last  word  of  Jesus.  A  sort  of  re-revisions 
they  are.  I  have  not  found  them  in  the  common 
print,  but  printed  in  lives,  the  lives  of  men. 
The  print  is  large,  chiefly  capitals,  easily  read. 
These  lives  are  so  noisy  as  to  quite  shut  out 
what  the  lips  may  be  saying.  There  are  varia- 
tions in  these  translations. 

Sometime  the  message  is  made  to  read  like 
this :  "All  power  hath  been  given  unto  Me, 
therefore  go  ye,  and  make — coins  of  gold — 
oh,  belong  to  church  of  course — that  is  proper 
and  has  many  advantages — and  give  too.  There 
are  advantages  about  that — give  freely,  or  make 
it  seem  freely — give  to  missions  at  home  and 
abroad.  That  is  regarded  as  a  sure  sign  of  a  lib- 
eral spirit.  But  be  careful  about  the  proportion 
of  your  giving.  For  the  real  thing  that  counts 
at  the  year's  end  is  how  much  you  have  added  to 
the  stock  of  dollars  in  your  grasp.  These  other 
things  are  good,  but — merely  incidental.  This 
thing  of  getting  gold  is  the  main  drive." 

Please  understand  me,  I  never  heard  any  of 
these  folks  talk   in  this  blunt  way  with  their 


The  Triple  Life.  47 

tongues.  So  far  as  I  can  hear,  they  are  saying 
something  quite  different.  But  what  their 
tongues  are  saying  is  made  indistinct  and  blurred 
by  some  noise  near  by. 

Other  translations  I  have  run  across  have  this 
variation:  "Make  a  place  for  yourself,  in  your 
profession,  in  society.  Make  a  comfortable  liv- 
ing;— ^with  a  wide  margin  of  meaning  to  that 
word  'comfortable* — belong  to  the  church,  be- 
come a  pillar,  or  at  least  move  in  the  pillar's  cir- 
cle, give  of  course,  even  freely  in  appearance, 
but  remember  these  are  the  dust  in  the  scale,  the 
other  is  the  thing  that  weighs.  All  of  one's 
energies  must  be  centered  on  the  main  thing." 

May  I  ask  you  to  listen  very  quietly,  while  I 
repeat  the  Master's  own  words  over  very  softly 
and  clearly,  so  that  they  may  get  into  the  inner 
cockles  of  our  hearts  anew?  "All  power  hath 
been  given  unto  Me ;  therefore  go  ye,  and  make 
disciples  of  all  nations/*  These  other  transla- 
tions are  wrong.  They  are  misleading.  The 
one  main  thing  is  influencing  men  for  Jesus. 

The  Perspective  of  True  Service, 

It  is  not  the  only  thing  by  any  means.  There 
is  a  multitude  of  things  perfectly  proper  and  that 
must  be  done  and  well  done.  But  through  all 
their  doing  is  to  run  this  one  strong  purpose. 
These  other  things  are  details,  important  details, 


48  Quiet  Talks  on  Service, 

indispensably  important,  yet  details.  The  other 
is  the  one  main  thing  toward  which  the  doing  of 
all  the  others  is  to  bend  and  blend. 

Please  mark  keenly  that  there  are  three  lives 
here;  three  in  one.  The  secret  life  of  prayer, 
the  open  life  of  purity,  the  active  life  of  service. 
Not  one,  nor  the  other,  not  any  two,  but  all  three, 
this  is  the  true  ideal.  This  is  the  true  rounded 
life.  And  note  sharply  that  this  gives  the  true 
perspective  of  service.  The  service  life  grows  up 
out  of  the  other  two.  Its  roots  lie  down  in 
prayer  and  purity.  This  explains  why  so  much 
service  is  fruitless.  It  isn't  rooted.  There  is 
no  rich  subsoil. 

It  seems  to  be  a  part  of  the  hurt  of  sin  that 
men  do  not  keep  the  proportion  of  things  bal- 
anced, and  never  have.  In  former  days  men 
shut  themselves  up  behind  great  walls  that  they 
might  be  pleasing  to  God.  They  shut  out  the 
noise  that  they  might  have  quiet  to  pray.  They 
thought  to  shut  out  the  sin  that  they  might  be 
pure,  forgetting  that  they  carried  it  in  with 
them. 

In  our  day  things  have  swung  clean  over  to 
the  other  extreme.  Now  all  is  activity.  The 
emphasis  of  the  time  is  upon  doing.  There  is  a 
lot  of  running  around,  and  rushing  around. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  activity  that  seems  in- 
separable from  dust.  The  wheels  make  such  a 
lot  of  noise  as  they  go  around.    Doing  that  does 


The  Triple  Life.  49 

not  root  down  in  the  secret  touch  with  Jesus, 
may  be  quite  vigorous  for  a  time,  but  soon  leaves 
behind  as  its  only  memory  withered  up  branches. 
This  is  a  practical  age,  we  are  constantly  told. 
Things  must  be  judged  by  the  standard  of  use- 
fulness. That  is  surely  true,  and  good,  but  there 
is  very  serious  danger  that  the  true  perspective  of 
service  be  lost  in  the  dust  that  is  being  raised. 

The  imprint  of  this  disproportion  or  lack  of 
proportion  can  even  be  found  in  the  theological 
teaching  of  long  ago  and  now.  At  one  time 
religion  was  defined  as  having  to  do  with  a  man's 
relation  to  God.  That  was  emphasized  to  the 
utter  hiding  away  of  all  else.  In  our  own  day 
the  swing  is  clear  over  to  the  other  side.  Defi- 
nitions of  religion  that  make  everything  of 
helping  one's  brother  and  fellow,  are  the  popular 
thing.  There  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  astigmatism 
that  keeps  us  from  seeing  things  straight. 
Though  always  there  have  been  those  that  saw 
straight  and  lived  truly. 

Mark  keenly  that  true  touch  with  God  always 
brings  the  longing  to  be  pure,  and  the  loving  of 
one's  fellow.  The  nearer  one  gets  to  God  the 
nearer  will  he  find  himself  getting  to  men. 
Often  we  find  ourselves  getting  new  wonderful 
glimpses  of  God  as  we  are  eagerly  helping  some- 
body. Up  seems  to  include  out,  as  though 
the  line  that  <irew  us  up  to  God  led  through  men. 
Yet  with  that  always  goes  the  other  fact  that 


50  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

touch  with  God  makes  one  long  to  be  alone  with 
Him. 

There  are  always  the  three  turnings  of  a  true 
life,  upward,  inward,  outward.  Upward  to  God, 
inward  to  self,  outward  to  the  world.  The 
more  one  knows  God  the  keener  is  the  longing 
to  get  off  with  Himself  alone,  the  deeper  is  the 
yearning  to  be  pure,  and  the  stronger  is  the  pas- 
sion to  help  others  regardless  of  any  sacrifice 
involved. 


A  Long  Time  Coming. 

There  is  an  old  story  that  caught  fire  in  my 
heart  the  first  time  it  came  to  me,  and  burns 
anew  at  each  memory  of  it.  It  told  of  a  time  in 
the  southern  part  of  our  country  when  the  sani- 
tary regulations  were  not  so  good  as  of  late. 
A  city  was  being  scourged  by  a  disease  that 
seemed  quite  beyond  control.  The  city's  carts 
were  ever  rolling  over  the  cobble-stones,  helping 
carry  away  those  whom  the  plague  had  slain. 

Into  one  very  poor  home,  a  laboring  man's 
home,  the  plague  had  come.  And  the  father 
and  children  had  been  carried  out  until  on  the 
day  of  this  story  there  remained  but  two,  the 
mother  and  her  baby  boy  of  perhaps  five  years. 
The  boy  crept  up  into  his  mother's  lap,  put  his 
arms  about  her  neck,  and  with  his  baby  eyes  so 
close,  said,  "Mother,  father's  dead,  and  broth- 


The  Triple  Life.  51 

crs  and  sister  are  dead; — if  you  die,  what'U  I 
do?" 

The  poor  mother  had  thought  of  it,  of  course, 
What  could  she  say?  Quieting  her  voice  as 
much  as  possible,  she  said,  "If  I  die,  Jesus  will 
come  for  you."  That  was  quite  satisfactory  to 
the  boy.  He  had  been  taught  about  Jesus,  and 
felt  quite  safe  with  Him,  and  so  went  about  his 
play  on  the  floor.  And  the  boy's  question  proved 
only  too  prophetic.  And  quick  work  was  done 
by  the  dread  disease.  And  soon  she  was  being 
laid  away  by  strange  hands. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  that  in  the 
sore  distress  of  the  time  the  boy  was  forgotten. 
When  night  came,  he  crept  into  bed,  but  could 
not  sleep.  ^  Late  in  the  night  he  got  up,  found 
his  way  out  along  the  street,  down  the  road,  in 
to  where  he  had  seen  the  men  put  her.  And 
throwing  himself  down  on  the  freshly  shoveled 
earth,  sobbed  and  sobbed  until  nature  kindly 
stole  consciousness  away  for  a  time. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  a  gentleman  com- 
ing down  the  road  from  some  errand  of  mercy, 
looked  over  the  fence,  and  saw  the  little  fellow 
lying  there.  Quickly  suspecting  some  sad  story, 
he  called  him,  "My  boy,  what  are  you  doing 
there? — My  boy,  wake  up,  what  are  you  do- 
ing there  all  alone  ?"  The  boy  waked  up,  rubbed 
his  baby  ^yes,  and  said,  "Father's  dead,  and 
brothers  and  sister's  dead,  and  now — mother^s 


52  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

—dead — ^too.  And  she  said,  if  she  did  die, 
Jesus  would  come  for  me.  And  He  hasn't 
come.  And  Vm  so  tired  waiting."  And  the 
man  swallowed  something  in  his  throat,  and  in 
a  voice  not  very  clear,  said,  "Well,  my  boy,  IVe 
come  for  you."  And  the  little  fellow  waking  up, 
with  his  baby  eyes  so  big,  said  "I  think  you've 
been  a  long  time  coming." 

Whenever  I  read  these  last  words  of  Jesus 
or  think  of  them,  there  comes  up  a  vision  that 
floods  out  every  other  thing.  It  is  of  Jesus  Him- 
self standing  on  that  hilltop.  His  face  is  all 
scarred  and  marred,  thorn-torn  and  thong-cut. 
But  it  is  beautiful,  passing  all  beauty  of  earth, 
with  its  wondrous  beauty  light.  Those  great 
eyes  are  looking  out  so  yearningly,  out  as  though 
they  were  seeing  men,  the  ones  nearest  and  those 
farthest.  His  arm  is  outstretched  with  the  hand 
pointing  out.  And  you  cannot  miss  the  rough 
jagged  hole  in  the  palm.  And  He  is  saying, 
*'Go  ye."  The  attitude,  the  scars,  the  eyes  look- 
ing, the  hand  pointing,  the  voice  speaking,  all 
are  saying  so  intently,  ''Go  ye." 

And  as  I  follow  the  line  of  those  eyes,  and  the 
hand,  there  comes  up  an  answering  vision.  A 
great  sea  of  faces  that  no  man  ever  yet  has  num- 
bered, with  answering  eyes  and  outstretching 
hands.  From  hoary  old  China,  from  our  blood- 
brothers  in  India,  from  Africa  where  sin's  tar 
stick   seems   to   have   blackened  blackest,   from 


The  Triple  Life.  53 

Romanized  South  America,  and  the  islands,  aye 
from  the  slums,  and  frontiers,  and  mountains  in 
the  homeland,  and  from  those  near  by,  from  over 
the  alley  next  to  your  house  maybe,  they  seem 
to  come.  And  they  are  rubbing  their  eyes,  and 
speaking.  With  lives  so  pitifully  barren,  with 
lips  mutely  eloquent,  with  the  soreness  of  their 
hunger,  they  are  saying,  "You're  a  long  time 
coming." 

Shall  we  go?  Shall  we  not  go?  But  how 
shall  we  best  go?  By  keeping  in  such  close 
touch  with  Jesus  that  the  warm  throbbing  of  His 
heart  is  ever  against  our  own.  Then  will  come 
a  new  purity  into  our  lives  as  we  go  out  irresist- 
ibly attracted  by  the  attraction  of  Jesus  toward 
our  fellows.  And  then  too  shall  go  out  of  our- 
selves and  out  of  our  lives  and  service,  a  new 
supernatural  power  touching  men.  It  is  Jesus 
within  reaching  men  through  us. 


YOKEFELLOWS:    THE    RHYTHM 
OF  SERVICE. 


The  Master's  Invitation, 

Surrender  a  Law  of  Life. 

Free  Surrender, 

"Him:' 

Yoked  Service. 

In  Step  With  lesus. 

The  Scar-marks  of  Surrender, 

Full  Power  Through  Rhythm* 

He  Is  Our  Peace. 

The  Master's  Touch, 


YOKEFELLOWS:    THE    RHYTHM 
OF  SERVICE. 

(Matthew  zi:  25-30;  Luke  x:  i,  17.  21-34.) 


The  Master's  Invitation, 

It  was  about  six  months  before  the  tragic  end 
that  Jesus  sent  out  thirty-five  deputations  of  two 
each.  He  was  beginning  that  slow  memorable 
journey  south  that  ended  finally  at  the  cross. 
These  men  are  sent  ahead  to  prepare  the  way. 
By  and  by  they  return  and  make  a  glad  exultant 
report  of  the  good  results  attending  their  work. 
Even  the  demons  had  acknowledged  the  power 
of  Jesus'  name  on  their  lips. 

As  He  was  listening  Jesus  looked  up,  and  said, 
"Father,  I  thank  Thee.''  And  then,  as  though  He 
could  see  those  great  crowds  to  whom  they  had 
been  ministering  in  His  name,  He  said,  "Come 
unto  Me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  My  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  Me ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart ;  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls. 
For  My  yoke  is  easy  and  My  burden  is  light." 

There  are  two  invitations  here,  "come"  and 
57 


58  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

"take."  There  are  two  sorts  of  people.  Those 
who  are  tugging  and  straining  at  work,  and  car- 
rying heavy  burdens,  and  then  those  who  have 
received  rest,  and  are  now  asked  to  go  a  step 
farther.  There  are  two  kinds  of  rest,  a  given 
rest,  and  a  found  rest.  The  given  rest  cannot 
be  found.  It  comes  as  a  sheer  out  gift,  from 
Jesus'  own  hand.  The  found  rest  cannot  be 
given,  may  I  say?  It  comes  stealing  its  gentle 
way  in  as  one  fits  into  Jesus'  plan  for  his 
life. 

Many  folks  have  accepted  the  first  of  these 
invitations.  They  have  "come"  to  Jesus,  and 
received  sweet  rest  from  His  hand.  But  they 
have  gone  no  farther.  At  the  close  of  that  first 
invitation  there  is  a  punctuation  period,  a  full 
stop.  Some  of  the  old  schoolbooks  used  to  say 
that  one  should  stop  at  a  period  and  count  four. 
Well,  a  great  many  people  have  followed  that 
old  rule  here,  and  more  than  followed.  They 
have  stopped  at  that  period,  and  never  gotten 
past  it.  I  want  just  now  to  ask  you  to  come 
with  me  as  we  talk  together  a  bit  about  this  sec 
ond  invitation,  "Take  My  yoke." 

Jesus  used  several  different  words  in  tying 
people  up  to  Himself.  There  is  a  growth  in 
them,  as  He  draws  us  nearer  and  nearer.  First 
always  is  the  invitation  "Come  unto  Me."  That 
means  salvation,  life.  Then  He  says,  "Follow 
Me,"  "Come  after  Me."    That  means  disciple- 


Yokefellows.  59 

ship.  "Learn  of  Me"  means  training  in  disci- 
pleship.  "Yoke  up  with  Me"  means  closest  fel- 
lowship. "Abide  in  Me"  leads  one  out  into 
abimdant  life.  "As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me, 
even  so  send  I  you,"  means  living  Jesus'  life  over 
again.  And  then  the  last  "Go  ye"  is  the  outer 
reach  of  all,  service  for  a  world. 


Surrender  a  Law  of  Life, 

Just  now  we  want  to  talk  together  over  this 
little  three-worded  sentence  from  Jesus'  lips, 
"Take  My  yoke."  What  does  it  mean?  Well, 
that  word  yoke  is  used  in  all  literature  outside  of 
this  book,  as  well  as  here,  to  mean  this :  surren- 
der by  one  and  mastery  by  another  one.  Where 
two  nations  liave  fought  and  the  weaker  has  been 
forced  to  yield,  it  is  quite  commonly  spoken  of  as 
wearing  the  yoke  of  the  stronger  nation.  The 
Romans  required  their  prisoners  of  war  to  pass 
under  a  yoke,  sometimes  a  common  cattle  yoke, 
sometimes  an  improvised  yoke,  to  indicate  their 
utter  subjugation.  These  Hebrews  to  whom 
Jesus  is  speaking  are  writhing  with  sore  shoulders 
under  the  galling  yoke  of  the  Romans.  One  can 
imagine  an  emphasis  placed  on  the  "My."  As 
though  Jesus  would  say,  "You  have  one  yoke 
now ;  change  yokes.     Take  My  yoke." 

There  is  too  a  higher,  finer  meaning  to  this 
surrender   when   by    mutual    arrangement   and 


6o  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

free  consent  there  is  a  yielding  of  one  to  another 
for  a  purpose.  And  so  what  Jesus  means  here 
is  simply  this — surrender.  Bend  your  head 
down,  bend  down  your  neck,  even  though  it's  a 
bit  stiff  going  your  own  way,  and  fit  it  into  this 
yoke  of  mine.     Surrender  to  Me  as  your  Master. 

And  somebody  says,  "I  don't  like  that. 
'Surrender!'  that  sounds  like  force.  I  thought 
salvation  was  free."  Will  you  please  remember 
that  the  principle  of  surrender  is  a  law  of  all 
life.  It  is  the  law  of  military  life,  inside  the 
army.  Every  man  there  has  surrendered  to  the 
officers  above  him.  In  some  armies  that  surren- 
der has  amounted  to  absolute  control  of  a  man's 
person  and  property  by  the  head  of  the  army. 
It  is  the  law  of  naval  service.  The  moment 
a  man  steps  on  board  a  man-of-war  to  serve  he 
surrenders  the  control  of  his  life  and  movements 
absolutely  to  the  officer  in  command. 

It  is  the  law  in  public,  political  life.  A  man 
entering  the  President's  cabinet,  as  a  secretary 
of  some  department,  surrenders  any  divergent 
views  he  may  have  to  those  of  his  chief.  With 
the  largest  freedom  of  thought  that  must  al- 
ways be  where  there  are  strong  men,  yet  there 
must  of  necessity  be  the  one  dominant  will  if 
the  administration  is  to  be  a  powerful  one.  It 
is  the  law  of  commercial  life.  The  man  en- 
tering the  employ  of  a  bank,  a  manufacturing 
concern,  a  corporation  of  any  sort,  in  whatever 


Yokefellows.  6i 

capacity,  enters  to  do  the  will  of  somebody  else. 
Always  there  must  be  the  one  dominant  will  if 
there  is  to  be  power  and  success. 

And  then  may  I  hush  my  voice  and  speak  of 
the  more  sacred  things  very  softly  and  remind 
you  of  this.  Surrender  is  the  law  of  the  highest 
form  of  life  known  to  us  men.  I  mean  wedded 
life.  Where  the  surrender  is  not  by  one  to  the 
other,  but  by  each  to  the  other.  Two  wills,  al- 
ways two  wills  where  there  is  strong  Hfe,  yet  in 
effect  but  one.  Two  persons  but  only  one  pur- 
pose. 

And  so  you  see,  Jesus,  the  Master,  the  greatest 
of  earth's  teachers  and  philosophers,  is  striking 
the  keynote  of  life  when  here  He  asks  us  to  sur- 
render freely  and  wholly  to  Himself  as  the  auto- 
crat of  our  lives.  He  asks  us  to  bend  our  strong 
wills  to  His,  to  yield  our  lives,  our  plans,  our 
ambitions,  our  friendships,  our  gold,  absolutely 
to  His  control. 


Free  Surrender. 

And  if  you  still  do  not  like  the  sound  of  that 
word  surrender.  It  has  a  harsh  sound  that 
grates  upon  your  nerves.  Will  you  please  notice 
the  first  word  of  that  little  sentence — "Take." 
Jesus  does  not  say  in  sharp,  hard  tones,  "Come 
here;  bend  down;  I'll  put  this  yoke  on  you." 
Never  that.     If  you  will,  of  your  own  glad  ac- 


62  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

cord,  freely,  winsomely  take  the  yoke  upon  you 
— that  is  what  He  asks.  In  military  usage  sur- 
render is  forced.  Here  it  must  be  free.  Noth- 
ing else  would  be  acceptable  to  Jesus. 

When  our  commissioners  went  a  few  years 
ago  to  Paris  to  treat  with  the  Spaniards,  the  lat- 
ter are  said  to  have  desired  certain  changes  in 
the  language  of  the  protocol.  With  the  polished 
suavity  for  which  they  are  noted  the  Spaniards 
urged  that  there  be  made  slight  changes  in  the 
words:  no  real  change  in  the  meaning,  they  said, 
simply  in  the  verbiage.  And  our  Judge  Day  at 
the  head  of  the  American  Commissioners,  list- 
ened politely  and  patiently  until  the  plea  was  pre- 
sented. And  then  he  quietly  said,  "The  article 
will  be  signed  as  it  reads."  And  the  Spaniards 
protested,  with  much  courtesy.  The  change 
asked  for  was  trivial,  merely  in  the  language, 
not  in  the  force  of  the  words.  And  our  men 
listened  patiently  and  courteously.  Then  Mr. 
Day  is  said  to  have  locked  his  little  square  jaw 
and  replied  very  quietly,  'The  article  will  be 
signed  as  it  reads."  And  the  article  was  so 
signed.  That  is  military  usage.  The  surrender 
was  forced.  The  strength  of  the  American 
fleets,  the  prestige  of  great  victory  were  back  of 
the  quiet  man's  demand. 

But  that  is  not  the  law  here.  Jesus  asks  for 
only  what  we  give  freely  and  spontaneously. 
He  does  not  want  anything  except  what  is  given 


Yokefellows.  6;^ 

with  a  free,  glad  heart.  This  is  to  be  a  volun- 
tary surrender.  Jesus  is  a  voluntary  Saviour. 
He  wants  only  voluntary  followers.  He  would 
have  us  be  as  Himself.  The  oneness  of  spirit 
leads  the  way  into  the  intimacy  of  closest  friend- 
ship.    And  that  is  His  thought  for  us. 

Do  you  remember  those  fine  lines,  "The  quality 
of  mercy  is  not  strained" — if  the  thing  be  forced 
through  a  strainer,  there  is  no  mercy  there — **it 
droppeth  as  the  gentle  rain  from  heaven  upon  the 
place  beneath."  Only  what  the  warm  current  of 
His  love  draws  out  does  Jesus  desire  from  us.  It 
is  to  be  a  free  surrender. 

''Him." 


And  if  you  still  knit  your  mental  brows,  and 
shrug  your  shoulder.  The  thing  hasn't  yet 
shaken  off  the  harshness  you  have  been  cloth- 
ing it  with.  Please  notice  the  second  word  of 
that  sentence— "My."  .  "Take  My  Yoke."  May 
I  say  gently  but  frankly  that  I  would  not  surren- 
der the  control  of  my  life  to  any  of  you  who  are 
listening  so  kindly.  And  I  surely  would  not  ask 
that  I  should  be  the  autocrat  of  any  of  your 
lives.  But — when — Jesus  comes  along.  The 
Man  with  the  marvelous  face  all  torn  and 
scarred,  but  with  that  great,  soft,  shining  light. 
I  do  not  know  just  how  all  of  you  feel.  I  can 
guess  how  some  of  you  feel.     But  I  know  one 


64  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

man  who  cannot  respond  too  quickly  and  eagerly. 
The  only  thing  to  do  is  to  make  the  will  as 
strong  as  it  can  be  made,  and  then  to  use  all  of 
its  strength  in  surrendering  eagerly  to  this 
matchless  Man  Jesus.  Doubtless  many  of 
you  know  fully  that  same  eagerness,  and  maybe 
more. 

I  remember  a  simple  story  that  twined  its 
clinging  tendril  fingers  about  my  heart.  It  was 
of  a  woman  whose  long  years  had  ripened  her 
hair,  and  sapped  her  strength.  She  was  a  true 
saint  in  her  long  life  of  devotion  to  God.  She 
knew  the  Bible  by  heart,  and  would  repeat  long 
passages  from  memory.  But  as  the  years  came 
the  strength  went,  and  with  it  the  memory  grad- 
ually went  too,  to  her  grief.  She  seemed  to  have 
lost  almost  wholly  the  power  to  recall  at  will  what 
had  been  stored  away. 

But  one  precious  bit  still  stayed.  She  would 
sit  by  the  big  sunny  window  of  the  sitting  room 
in  her  home,  repeating  over  that  one  bit,  as 
though  chewing  a  delicious  titbit,  "I  know 
whom  I  have  believed  and  am  persuaded  that  He 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto 
Him  against  that  day."  By  and  by  part  of  that 
seemed  to  slip  its  hold,  and  she  would  quietly  be 
repeating,  "that  which  I  have  committed  to 
Him." 

The  last  few  weeks  as  the  ripened  old  saint 
hovered  about  the  border  land  between  this  and 


Yokefellows.  65 

the  spirit  world  her  feebleness  increased.  Her 
loved  ones  would  notice  her  lips  moving.  And 
thinking  she  might  be  needi.ig  some  creature 
comfort  they  would  go  over  and  ben  1  down  to 
listen  for  her  request.  And  time  and  again  they 
found  the  old  saint  repeating  over  to  herself  one 
word,  over  and  over  again,  the  same  one  word, 
"mm— Him— Him."  She  had  1  )st  the  whole 
Bible  but  one  word.  But  she  had  the  whole 
Bible  in  that  one  word.  Did  she  not?  This  is 
a  surrender  to  Him,  the  Man  of  the  Book.  The 
Man  of  all  life. 


Yoked  Service. 


They  tell^me  that  on  a  farm  the  yoke  means 
service.  Cattle  are  yoked  to  serve,  and  to  serve 
better,  and  to  serve  more  easily.  This  is  a  sur- 
render for  service,  not  for  idleness.  In  military 
usage  surrender  often  means  being  kept  in  en- 
forced idleness  and  under  close  guard.  But  this 
is  not  like  that.  It  is  all  up  on  a  much  higher 
plane.  Jesus  has  every  man's  life  planned.  It 
always  awes  me  to  recall  that  simple  tremendous 
fact.  With  loving  strong  thoughtfulness  He 
has  thought  into  each  of  our  lives,  and  planned 
it  out,  in  whole,  and  in  detail.  He  comes  to  a 
man  and  says,  *'I  know  you.  I  have  been  think- 
ing about  you."  Then  very  softly — "I — love 
— ^you.     I  need  you,  for  a  plan  of  Mine.    Please 


66  Quiet  Talks  o.    Service. 

let  Me  have  the  control  of  your  life  and  all  your 
power,  for  My  plan."  It  is  a  surrender  for  ser- 
vice. 

It  is  yoked  service.  There  are  two  bows  or 
loops  to  a  yoke.  A  yoke  in  act' on  has  both  sides 
occupied,  and  as  surely  as  I  bow  down  My  head 
and  slip  it  into  the  bow  on  one  side — I  know 
there  is  Somebody  else  on  the  other  side.  It  is 
yoked  living  now,  yoked  fellowship,  yoked 
service.  It  is  not  working  for  God  now.  It  is 
working  :'vith  Him.  Jesus  never  sends  anybody 
ahead  alone.  He  treads  down  the  pathway 
through  every  thicket,  pushes  aside  the  thorn- 
bushes,  and  clears  the  way,  and  th^n  says  with 
that  taking  way  of  His,  "Come  along  with  Me. 
Let's  go  together,  you  and  I." 

A  man  got  up  in  a  meeting  to  speak.  It  was 
down  in  Rhode  Island,  out  a  bit  f ror  i  Providence. 
He  was  a  farmer,  an  old  man.  H'  had  become 
a  Christian  late  in  life,  and  this  evening  was  tell- 
ing about  his  start.  He  had  been  a  rough,  bad 
man.  He  said  that  when  he  became  a  Christian 
even  the  cat  knew  that  some  change  had  taken 
place.  That  caught  my  ear.  It  had  a  genuine 
ring.  It  seemed  prophetic  of  the  better  day  com- 
ing for  all  the  lower  animal  creation.  So  I  list- 
ened. 

He  said  that  the  next  morning  after  the  change 
of  purpose  he  was  going  down  to  the  village  a 
little  distance  from  his  farm.     He  swung  along 


Yokefellows.  67 

the  road,  happy  in  heart,  singing  softly  to  him- 
self, and  thinking  about  the  Saviour.  All  at  once 
he  could  feel  the  fumes  coming  out  of  a  saloon 
ahead.  He  couldn't  see  the  place  yet,  but  his 
keen  trained  nose  felt  it.  The  odors  came  out 
strong,  and  gripped  him. 

He  said  he  was  frightened,  and  wondered  how 
he  would  get  by.  He  had  never  gone  by  before, 
he  said;  always  gone  in;  but  he  couldn't  go  in 
now.  But  what  to  do,  that  was  the  .ub.  Then 
he  smiled,  and  said,  "I  remembered,  and  I  said, 
'Jesus,  you'll  have  to  come  along  and  help  me 
get  by,  I  never  can  by  myself.'  "  And  then  in 
his  simple,  illiterate  way  he  said,  "and  He 
come — and  we  went  by,  and  we've  been  going  by 
ever  since." 

Ah,  the  old  Rhode  Island  farmer  had  found 
the  whole  simple  philosophy  of  the  true  life. 
Our  Yokefellow  is  always  there  alongside. 
Every  temptation  that  comes  to  us  He  has  felt 
the  sharp  edge  of,  and  can  overcome.  Every 
problem,  every  difficulty,  every  opportunity  He 
knows,  and  is  right  there,  swinging  in  rhythmic 
step  alongside.  It's  yoked  living  and  yoked 
service. 


In  Step  with  Jesus. 

Then  please  mark  keenly  that  this  surrender 
is    for    surrendered    service.     No    free-lancing 


68  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

here.  No  guerrilla  warfare,  no  bushwhacking. 
There  seems  to  be  quite  a  lot  of  that,  in  this 
army.  Some  earnest  folks  are  very  busy  "help- 
ing God  out,"  regardless  of  the  general  move- 
ment of  the  whole  army.  And  a  great  help  they 
are  too — they  think.  It  would  be  difficult  to 
see  how  God  would  ever  get  along  without  them 
— they  seem  to  think.  Poor  folks,  they  have  got- 
ten so  covered  with  the  dust  made  by  their  own 
feet  that  they've  completely  lost  track  of  things. 
There  is  a  Lord  to  this  harvest.  There  is  a 
great  Commander-in-chief  to  this  campaign. 
He  has  the  whole  campaign  for  a  world  care- 
fully planned  out.  And  each  man's  part  in  it 
is  planned  too.  He  knov/s  best  what  needs  to  be 
,-..^done.  He  sees  keenly  the  strategic  points,  and 
the  emergencies.  If  only  He  could  but  depend 
on  our  ears  being  trained  to  know  His  voice, 
and  our  wills  trained  to  simple,  full  obedience, 
how  much  difference  it  would  make  to  Him. 
Simple,  full  strong  obedience  seems  to  take  the 
keenest  intelligence,  the  strongest  will,  and  the 
most  thorough  discipline. 

••  Just  to  ask  Him  what  to  do, 
All  the  day. 
And  to  make  you  quick  and  true 
To  obey."* 

This  surrender  is  for  glad,  obedient  surrendered 
service. 

*  Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 


Yokefellows.  69 

And  note  too  that  it  is  for  training  in  service. 
They  tell  me  that  where  cattle  are  yoked  for 
work  it  is  usual  to  put  a  young  restive  beast  with 
an  old,  steady-going  animal.  The  old  worker 
sets  the  pace,  and  pulls  evenly,  steadily  ahead, 
and  by  and  by  the  young  undisciplined  beast  grad- 
ually comes  to  learn  the  pace.  That  seems  to  fit 
in  here  with  graphic  realness.  So  many  of  us 
seem  to  be  full  of  an  undisciplined  unseasoned 
strength.  There  are  apt  to  be  some  hard  drives 
ahead,  and  then  pulling  back  with  a  sudden  jerk, 
and  side  lunges  this  way  and  that.  There  is 
splendid  strength,  and  eager  willingness,  but 
not  much  is  accomplished  for  lack  of  the  steady, 
steady  going  regardless  of  rocks  or  ruts. 

Jesus  says,  "Yoke  up  with  Me.  Let's  pull  to- 
gether, you  and  I."  And  if  we  will  pull  steadily 
along,  content  to  be  by  His  side,  and  to  be  hear- 
ing His  quiet  voice,  and  alzvays  to  keep  His  pace, 
step  by  step  with  Him,  without  regard  to  seeing 
results,  all  will  be  well,  and  by  and  by  the  best 
results  and  the  largest  will  be  found  to  have 
come.  And  remember  that  as  on  the  farm,  so 
here,  the  yoke  is  always  carefully  adjusted  so 
that  the  young  learner  may  have  the  easier  pull- 
ing. 

But  it  is  well  to  put  in  this  bit  of  a  caution. 
If  a  man  put  his  head  into  the  yoke,  and  then 
pull  back — well,  there'll  be  a  man  with  a  badly 
chafed,  sore  neck  in  that  neighborhood,  and  oil 


70  yuiet    lalks  on  Service. 

will  be  in  demand.  The  one  safe  rule  is  swing- 
ing straight  ahead,  steady,  steady,  without  even 
stopping  to  decide  if  the  plow  has  cut  properly, 
or  if  it  is  worth  while. 


The  Scar-marks  of  Surrender. 

Then  Jesus  adds  this :  "Learn  of  Me."  I  used 
to  wonder  just  what  that  means.  But  I  think  I 
know  a  part  of  its  meaning  now.  You  remem- 
ber the  Hebrews  had  a  scheme  of  qualified  sla- 
very.^ A  man  might  sell  his  service  for  six  years 
but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  scot-free. 
On  the  New  Year's  morning  of  the  seventh  year 
he  was  given  his  full  liberty,  and  given  some 
grain  and  oil  to  begin  life  with  anew. 

But  if  on  that  morning  he  found  himself  re- 
luctant to  leave,  all  his  ties  binding  him  to  his 
master's  home,  this  was  the  custom  among  them. 
He  would  say  to  his  master,  "I  don't  want  to 
leave  you.  This  is  home  to  me.  I  love  you  and 
the  mistress.  I  love  the  place.  All  my  ties 
and  affections  are  here.  I  want  to  stay  with  you 
always."  His  master  would  say,  "Do  you  mean 
this?"  "Yes,"  the  man  would  reply,  "I  want  to 
belong  to  you  forever." 

Then  his  master  would  call  in  the  leading  men 
of  the  village  or  neighborhood  to  witness  the  oc- 

•  Exodus  xxi:  2-6;  Leviticus xxv:  39-43;  Deuteronomy 
xv:  12-18. 


Yokefellows.  71 

currence.  And  he  would  take  his  servant  out 
to  the  door  of  the  home,  and  standing  him  up 
against  the  door- jamb  would  pierce  the  lobe  of 
his  ear  through  with  an  awl.  I  suppose  like 
a  shoemaker's  awl.  Then  the  man  became 
not  his  slave,  but  his  bond-slave,  forever. 
It  was  a  personal  surrender  of  himself  to  his 
master;  it  was  voluntary;  it  was  for  love's  sake; 
it  was  for  service ;  it  was  after  a  trial ;  it  was  for 
life. 

Now  that  was  what  Jesus  did.  If  you  will 
turn  to  that  Fortieth  Psalm,^  from  which  we 
read,  you  will  find  words  that  are  plainly  pro- 
phetic of  Jesus,  and  afterwards  quoted  as  refer- 
ring to  Him.  "Mine  ears  hast  Thou  opened, 
or  digged,  or  pierced  for  me."  And  in  the 
fiftieth  chapter  of  Isaiah/  revised  version,  are 
these  words  likewise  prophetic  of  Jesus.  "The 
Lord  God  hath  opened  mine  ear,  and  /  was  not 
rebellions,  neither  turned  away  backward.  I 
gave  my  back  to  the  smiters,  and  my  cheeks 
to  them  that  plucked  off  the  hair;  I  hid  not  my 
face  from  shame  and  spitting." 

And  the  truth  is  this.  May  the  Spirit  of  God 
burn  it  deep  into  our  hearts.  Jesus  was  a  sur- 
rendered Man.  Stop  a  bit  and  think  into  what 
that  means.  Jesus  is  the  giant  Man  of  the  hu- 
man race,  thought  of  just  now  as  a  man,  though 

1  Psalm  xl:  6-8;  Hebrews  x:  5-7. 

2  Isaiah  1:  4-6. 


72  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

He  was  so  much  more,  too.  In  His  wisdom  as 
a  teacher,  His  calm  poised  judgment,  the  purity 
of  His  life,  the  tremendous  power  of  His  per- 
sonality in  swaying  man,  He  clear  overtops  the 
whole  race  of  men.  Now  that  Master  Man, 
that  giant  of  the  race,  was  a  surrendered  Man. 
For  instance  run  through  John's  Gospel,  and 
pick  out  the  negatives  on  His  lips,  the  "nots." 
Not  His  own  will,  nor  His  own  words,  nor  His 
own  teaching,  nor  His  own  works.*  Jesus  came 
to  earth  to  do  Somebody's  else  will.  With  all 
His  giant  powers  He  was  utterly  absorbed  in 
doing  what  some  One  else  wished  done.  And 
now  this  giant  Man,  this  surrendered  Man,  says, 
"You  do  as  I  have  done.  Learn  of  Me:  I  am 
wholly  given  up  to  doing  My  Father's  will. 
You  be  wholly  surrendered  to  Me,  and  so  to- 
gether we  will  carry  out  the  Father's  will." 

Some  one  of  a  practical  turn  says,  "That 
sounds  very  nice,  but  is  it  not  a  bit  fanciful? 
The  lobe  of  Jesus'  ear  was  not  pierced  through, 
was  it?"  No.  You  are  right.  The  scar-mark 
of  Jesus'  surrender  was  not  in  His  ear,  as  with 
the  old  Hebrew  slave.  You  are  quite  right.  It 
was  in  His  cheek,  and  brow,  on  His  back,  in  His 
side  and  hands  and  feet.  The  scar-marks  of 
His  surrender  were — are — all  over  His  face  and 
form.  Everybody  who  surrenders  bears  some 
scar  of  it  because  of  sin,  his  own  or  somebody's 

^  John  v:  19,  30;  vi:  38,  57;  vii:  16-17,  28;  viii:  28,  29. 


Yokefellows.  73 

else.  Referring  to  the  suffering  endured  in  ser- 
vice Paul  tenderly  reckons  it  as  a  mark  of  Jesus* 
ownership — "I  bear  the  scars,  the  stigmata,  of 
the  Lord  Jesus."  Even  of  the  Master  Himself 
is  this  so. 

And  that  scarred  Jesus  whose  body  told  and 
tells  of  His  surrender  to  His  Father  comes  to 
us.  And  with  those  hands  eagerly  outstretched, 
and  eyes  beaming  with  the  earnestness  of  His 
great  passion  for  men,  He  says,  "Yoke  up  with 
Me,  please.  Let  Me  have  the  control  of  all  your 
splendid  powers,  in  carrying  out  our  Father's 
will  for  a  world." 


Full  Power  through  Rhythm. 

Then  Je^us,  with  a  sweep,  gathers  up  all  the 
results  in  a  single  sentence,  **Ye  shall  find  rest 
unto  your  souls."  Some  one  may  be  thinking, 
"I  do  not  feel  the  need  of  rest  or  peace  so  much. 
I  am  hungry  for  power."  Will  you  please  no- 
tice that  Jesus  is  going  to  the  very  root  of  the 
thing  here.  There  must  be  peace  before  there 
can  be  power.  You  shall  find  peace.  Others 
shall  find  power.  You  will  be  conscious  of  the 
sweet  sense  of  peace  within.  Others  will  be 
conscious  of  the  fragrant  power  breathing  out 
of  your  life,  and  service,  and  your  very  person. 

These  things,  peace  and  power,  are  the  same. 
They  are  different  movements  of  the  same  river 


74  Quiet  Talks   on  Service. 

of  God.  The  presence  of  God  in  fine  harmony 
with  you,  that  it  is  that  brings  the  sweet  peace. 
And  that  too  it  is  that  brings  the  gracious  power 
into  the  Hfe.  The  inward  flow  of  the  river  is 
peace.  The  outward  flow  of  the  same  stream  is 
power.  There  cannot  be  power  save  as  there  is 
peace.  There  is  nothing  that  hinders  and 
holds  back  power  as  does  friction.  That  is 
true  in  mechanics :  a  bit  of  friction  grit  between 
the  wheels  will  check  the  full  working  of  the 
machmery.  A  small  nut  fallen  down  out  of 
place  will  completely  stop  the  machine  and  bring 
all  of  its  power  to  a  standstill. 

This  is  heart  rest.  The  heart  is  the  center, 
the  citadel  of  the  life.  When  the  heart  rests  all 
is  at  rest.  If  the  citadel  can  be  captured  the  out- 
works are  included.  It  is  a  found  rest.  It 
comes  quietly  stealing  its  soft  way  in  as  you  go 
about  your  regular  round  of  life.  Just  where 
you  are,  in  the  thick  of  the  old  circumstances 
and  conditions,  there  comes  breathing  gently  into 
your  very  being  the  great  fragrant  peace  of  God. 
You  find  it  coming  in.  There  is  all  the  zest  of 
finding. 

It  is  rest  in  service.  To  many  folks  those  two 
words  "yoke"  and  "rest"  have  seemed  to  jar,  as 
though  they  did  not  get  along  well  together. 
But  they  do.  The  jarring  is  not  in  them  but  in 
our  misunderstanding  of  them.  A  yoke,  we  have 
thought,    means    work.     Rest    means    quitting 


Yokefellows.  75 

work;  no  more  need  of  work.  But  that  is  a  Dit 
of  the  hurt  of  sin  that  gets  so  many  things  wrong 
end  to. 

**  Rest  is  not  quitting 
The  busy  career; 
Rest  is  the  fitting 
Of  self  to  its  sphere."* 

True  rest  is  in  the  unhurried  rhythm  of  action. 
Have  you  thought  of  when  your  heart  rests? 
It  does  not  stop,  of  course,  while  life  lasts.  But 
it  rests.  It  rests  between  beats.  A  beat  and 
a  rest.  A  throb  of  power  and  a  moment  of  per- 
fect rest.  A  mighty  motion  that  sends  the  warm 
red  life  through  all  the  intricate  machinery  of  the 
body;  then  quiet  composed  rest.  The  secret  of 
the  immeasurable  power  of  this  organ  we  call 
the  heart  lies  just  here.  There  is  enough  power 
in  a  normal  human  heart  to  batter  down  Bunker 
Hill  Monument  if  it  could  be  centered  upon  it. 
The  secret  of  that  power  is  in  the  rhythm  of  ac- 
tion that  combines  motion  with  rest.  We  call 
rhythm  of  color,  beauty.  Rhythm  of  sound  is 
music.     Rhythm  of  action  is  power. 

I  have  often  stood  as  a  boy  on  the  streets  of 
old  Philadelphia,  and  watched  a  gang  of  foreign 
laborers  at  work.  As  a  rule  they  could  speak 
only  the  language  of  their  own  fatherland. 
There  would  be  a  gang-boss  to  direct  their 
*  John  Sullivan  Dwight. 


*j6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

movements.  Perhaps  it  was  a  huge  stone  to  be 
moved,  or  a  piece  of  structural  iron,  or  a  heavy 
rail  to  be  torn  up.  The  ends  of  their  crowbars 
were  fitted  under  the  thing  to  be  moved.  Then 
they  waited  a  moment  for  the  gang-boss  to  give 
the  word.     He  would  say,  "heave  ho !" 

Then  all  together  they  would  sing  "heave  ho," 
and  push.  And  a  "heave  ho,"  and  push;  a 
"heave  ho,"  and  a  push.  They  made  perfect 
music.  There  was  always  a  small  crowd  gath- 
ered, watching  and  enjoying  the  simple  music. 
Their  work  was  easier  because  done  rhythmically. 
This,  of  course,  is  the  simple  philosophy  that  pro- 
vides music  for  soldiers  on  march.  The  men 
can  walk  much  longer,  and  farther,  with  less 
fatigue  if  they  go  to  the  sound  of  music. 

The  story  is  told  of  the  contracts  for  some 
bridge-building  in  the  Soudan  being  carried  off 
by  American  bidders.  Their  competitors  in  the 
bidding  specified  a  year's  time  or  so,  for  the 
work.  The  Americans  agreed  to  do  it  in  three 
months.  They  were  awarded  the  contract,  and 
to  the  others'  surprise  had  the  work  completed 
within  the  specified  time. 

One  of  the  contractors  who  had  bid  for  the 
job  on  the  basis  of  a  year's  time  said  afterwards 
to  the  successful  contractor,  "I  wish,  if  you 
wouldn't  mind  doing  so,  you  would  tell  me  how 
you  ever  got  that  work  done  in  so  short  a  time 
with  those  undisciplined  Soudanese  natives  for 


Yokefellows.  77 

workmen.  I  have  had  them  on  other  contracts 
and  I  know  I  couldn't  have  done  it.  How  did 
you  ever  do  it  ?" 

And  the  American,  whose  blood  was  British  a 
generation  or  two  back,  and  farther  back  yet 
Teutonic,  smiled  as  he  quietly  said,  "We  had  a 
band  of  native  musicians  playing  the  liveliest 
music  they  knew  within  earshot  of  every  gang 
of  laborers,  while  our  gang-bosses  kept  them 
steadily  at  work." 

Rhythm  is  the  secret  of  power.  Full  rhythm 
is  possible  only  where  there  is  full  obedience  to 
nature.  The  man  in  full  sweet  harmony  with 
God  in  all  of  his  life  knows  the  stilling  ecstasy  of 
peace,  and  the  marvelous  outgoings  of  real 
power.  You  shall  find  within  your  heart  the 
great  stillijig  calm  of  God,  as  steadying  as  the 
rock  of  ages,  as  exhilarating  as  the  subtle  fra- 
grance of  flowers,  and  as  restful  as  a  mother's 
bosom  to  her  babe. 

He  is  Our  Peace. 


But  there  is  something  here  finer  yet  by  far 
than  this.  Everything  God  provides  for  us  is 
personal.  There  is  always  the  personal  touch 
and  presence.  Do  you  remember  that  during 
the  earlier  days  of  the  recent  war  with  Spain  this 
occurrence  frequently  took  place  ?  In  the  Carib- 
bean waters  a  Spanish  merchantman  would  be 


78  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

overtaken  by  an  American  warship.  A  few 
shots  were  sent  over  the  bows  of  the  merchant- 
man with  a  demand  for  surrender.  And  then 
the  Spanish  flag  was  seen  to  drop  from  the  mer- 
chantman's   masthead    in    token    of    surrender. 

Then  this  was  the  method  of  procedure.  A 
prize  crew,  consisting  of  an  officer  with  a  few 
ensigns,  was  lowered  from  the  American  boat, 
pulled  across,  and  taken  aboard  the  captured 
boat.  The  moment  the  prize  crew  stepped 
aboard  they  were  masters  of  the  boat  in  their 
government's  name.  Their  presence  signified 
the  surrender  of  the  foreigner,  and  the  forced 
peace  now  between  the  two  boats. 

On  a  much  higher  plane  this  is  what  takes 
place  with  us.  There  has  been  flying  at  my 
masthead  a  flag  with  a  big  I  upon  it.  As 
quickly  as  I  drop  it  in  token  of  my  surrender  to 
Somebody  else,  a  prize  crew  is  sent  aboard  to 
take  possession,  and  assume  control.  Who  is 
the  prize  crew?  The  Holy  Spirit,  whom  Jesus 
the  Master  sends  to  represent  Himself.  He 
steps  aboard  at  once. 

He  paces  the  deck  as  the  ship's  Master.  His 
presence  is  peace.  "He  is  our  peace."  "The 
fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,"  And 
while  He  occupies  the  captain's  quarters,  with 
full  cheery  obedience  on  board,  there  is  ever  the 
fine  aroma  of  peace  everywhere,  and  the  fullness 
of  power. 


Yokefellows.  79 

The  Master's  Touch. 

One  morning  a  number  of  years  ago  in  Lon- 
don a  group  of  people  had  gathered  in  a  small 
auction  shop  for  an  advertised  sale  of  fine  old 
antiques  and  curios.  The  auctioneer  brought 
out  an  old  blackened,  dirty-looking  violin.  He 
said,  "Ladies  and  gentlemen,  here  is  a  remark- 
able old  instrument  I  have  the  great  privilege  of 
offering  to  you.  It  is  a  genuine  Cremona,  made 
by  the  famous  Antonius  Stradivarius  himself. 
It  is  very  rare,  and  worth  its  weight  in  gold. 
What  am  I  bid  ?"  The  people  present  looked  at 
it  critically.  And  some  doubted  the  accuracy  of 
the  auctioneer's  statements.  They  saw  that  it 
did  not  have  the  Stradivarius  name  cut  in.  And 
he  explained  that  some  of  the  earHest  ones  made 
did  not  have  the  name.  And  that  some  that  had 
the  name  cut  in  were  not  genuine.  But  he  could 
assure  them  that  this  was  genuine.  Still  the 
buyers  doubted  and  criticised,  as  buyers  have 
always  done.  Five  guineas  in  gold  were  bid, 
but  no  more.  The  auctioneer  perspired  and 
pleaded.  "It  was  ridiculous  to  think  of  selling 
such  a  rare  violin  for  such  a  small  sum,"  he  said. 
But  the  bidding  seemed  hopelessly  stuck  there. 

Meanwhile  a  man  had  entered  the  shop  from 
the  street.  He  was  very  tall  and  very  slender, 
with  very  black  hair,  middle-aged,  wearing  a 
velvet  coat.     He  walked  up  to  the  counter  with 


So  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

a  peculiar  side-wise  step,  and  without  noticing 
anybody  in  the  shop  picked  up  the  violin,  and 
was  at  once  absorbed  in  it.  He  dusted  it  ten- 
derly with  his  handkerchief,  changed  the  tension 
of  the  strings,  and  held  it  up  to  his  ear  Hnger- 
ingly  as  though  hearing  something.  Then  put- 
ting the  end  of  it  up  in  position  he  reached  for 
the  bow,  while  the  murmur  ran  through  the  lit- 
tle audience,  "Paganini." 

The  bow  seemed  hardly  to  have  touched  the 
strings  when  such  a  soft  exquisite  note  came 
out  fining  the  shop,  and  holding  the  people  spell- 
bound. And  as  he  played  the  listeners  laughed 
for  very  delight,  and  then  wept  for  the  fullness 
of  their  emotion.  The  men's  hats  were  off,  and 
they  all  stood  in  rapt  reverence,  as  though  in  a 
place  of  worship.  He  played  upon  their  emo- 
tions as  he  played  upon  the  old  soil-begrimed 
violin. 

By  and  by  he  stopped.  And  as  they  were  re- 
leased from  the  spell  of  the  music  the  people  be- 
gan clamoring  for  the  violin.  "Fifty  guineas," 
"sixty,"  "seventy,"  "eighty,"  they  bid  in  hot 
haste.  And  at  last  it  was  knocked  down  to  the 
famous  player  himself  for  one  hundred  guineas 
in  gold,  and  that  evening  he  held  a  vast  audience 
of  thousands  breathless  under  the  spell  of  the 
music  he  drew  from  the  old,  dirty,  blackened, 
despised  violin. 

It  was  despised  till  the  master-player  took  pes- 


Yokefellows.  8i 

session.  Its  worth  was  not  known.  The  mas- 
ter's touch  revealed  the  rare  value,  and  brought 
out  the  hidden  harmonies.  He  gave  the  doubted 
little  instrument  its  true  place  of  high  honor  be- 
fore the  multitude.  May  I  say  softly,  some  of 
us  have  been  despising  the  worth  of  the  man 
within.  We  have  been  bidding  five  guineas 
when  the  real  value  is  immeasurably  above  that 
because  of  the  Maker.  Do  not  let  us  be  under- 
bidding God's  workmanship. 

The  violin  needed  dusting,  and  readjustment 
of  its  strings  before  the  music  came.  Shall  we 
not  each  of  us  yield  this  rarest  instrument,  his 
own  personality,  to  the  Master's  hand?  There 
v/ill  be  some  changes  needed,  no  doubt,  as  the 
Master-player  takes  hold.  And  then  will  go 
singing  otLt  of  our  persons  and  our  lives,  the 
rarest  music  of  God,  that  shall  enthrall  and  bring 
all  within  earshot  to  the  Master-musician. 


A  PASSION  FOR  WINNING  MEN 
THE   MOTIVE-POWER  OF 
SERVICE. 


A  Day  off. 

Moved  with  Compassion. 

Counting  on  Us. 

The  Secret  of  Winsomeness, 

''As  the  Stars.'' 

The  Finest  Wisdom. 

Three  Essentials. 

A  Blessed  Library  Corner, 

"Two  Missing''—'' Go  Ye." 


A  PASSION  FOR  WINNING  MEN 
THE  MOTIVE-POWER  OF 
SERVICE. 

(Mark  vi:  30-34.) 


^A  Day  off. 

One  morning  toward  the  end,  in  the  midst  of 
His  busiest  campaigning,  Jesus  was  very  tired. 
It  is  one  of  the  touches  of  His  humanness.  So 
He  said  to  His  disciples,  "Let  us  take  a  day  off/' 
And  they  could  see  the  sense  of  it.  They  were 
tired  too.  So  they  got  a  boat,  and  boarded  her, 
and  set  sail,  and  headed  out  across  the  lake. 
And  meanwhile  a  crowd  of  people  had  come 
down  to  the  beach  to  be  talked  to,  and  healed,  and 
helped  in  various  ways. 

And  you  can  just  see  the  look  of  disappoint- 
ment in  their  faces  as  they  say,  "Why,  He's  go- 
ing away."  And  for  a  few  moments  they  stand 
there  utterly  dejected.  Then  somebody — for  a 
long  while  I  have  thought  it  was  a  woman — 
somebody  with  eyes  keenly  watching  the  direc- 
tion of  the  boat,  said,  "I  believe  He's  going  so 
and  so" — naming  a  place  across  the  lake — "let's 
85 


86  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

run  around  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  meet  Him 
when  He  gets  out." 

And  the  crowd  was  taken  with  that.  And  they 
ran — literally  ran — around  the  head  of  the  lake. 
And  as  they  went  they  spread  the  word,  "The 
Master's  going  so  and  so.  Come  along  with  us." 
And  the  people  came  eagerly  out  of  the  villages 
and  cross-roads.  And  the  crowd  thickened  and 
the  longer  way  around  in  distance  proved  the 
shorter  way  there  in  time.  For  by  and  by  when 
Peter  ran  the  nose  of  the  boat  into  the  sand  on 
the  other  side,  and  the  Master  got  out  for  a  day 
off,  there  were  five  thousand  men,  maybe  ten 
thousand  people  waiting  to  receive  Him. 

Do  you  think  that  Peter  scrooged  down  his 
eyebrows,  and  in  a  jerky  voice  said,  "They  might 
have  given  Him  one  day  to  Himself.  Can't  they 
see  He's  tired?"  Do  you  think  that  likely  John 
chimed  in,  with  that  fire  in  his  voice  which  the 
after  years  mellowed  and  sweetened  but  never 
lost, — "Yes,  how  inconsiderate  a  crowd  is !"  Do 
you  think  so?  /  do.  Because  they  were  so 
much  like  us.  But  He — the  most  tired  of  them 
all — ''was  moved  with  compassion,"  and  spent  the 
whole  day  in  teaching,  and  talking  personally, 
and  healing.  And  then  when  they  had  gone  He 
went  off  to  the  mountain  for  the  quiet  time  at 
night  He  could  not  get  in  the  daytime. 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.        87 

'Moved  with  Compassion. 

There  is  a  great  word  used  of  Jesus,  and  by 
Him,  nine  times^  in  these  brief  records,  the  word 
compassion.  The  sight  of  a  leprous  man,  or 
of  a  demon-distressed  man,  moved  Him.  The 
great  multitudes  huddling  together  after  Him, 
so  pathetically,  like  leaderless  sheep,  eager, 
hungry,  tired,  always  stirred  Him  to  the 
depths.  The  lone  woman,  bleeding  her  heart 
out  through  her  eyes,  as  she  followed  the  body 
of  her  boy  out  —  He  couldn't  stand  that  at 
all. 

And  when  He  was  so  moved.  He  always  did 
something.  He  clean  forgot  His  own  bodily  needs 
so  absorbed  did  He  become  in  the  folks  around 
Him.  The-  healing  touch  was  quickly  given,  the 
demonized  man  released  from  his  sore  bonds, 
the  disciples  organized  for  a  wider  movement 
to  help,  the  bread  multiplied  so  the  crowds  could 
find  something  comforting  between  their  hun- 
ger-cleaned teeth. 

The  sight  of  suffering  always  stirred  Him. 
The  presence  of  a  crowd  seemed  always  to  touch 
and  arouse  Him  peculiarly.  He  never  learned 
that  sort  of  city  culture  that  can  look  unmoved 
upon  suffering  or  upon  a  leaderless,  helpless 
crowd.     That  word  compassion,  used  of  Him,  is 

*  Mark  i:  41 ;  Matthew  ix:  36;  Mark  vi:  34  (with  Matthew 
xiv:  14);  Matthew  xx:34;  xv:  32;  Mark  v;  19;  Luke  vii; 
13;  x:  33;  xv:20 


88  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

both  deep  and  tender  in  its  meaning.  The  word, 
actually  used  under  our  English  means  to  have 
the  bowels  or  heart,  the  seat  of  emotion,  greatly 
stirred. 

The  kindred  word,  sympathy,  means  to  have 
the  heart  yearning,  literally  to  be  suffering  the 
same  distress,  to  be  so  moved  by  somebody's  pain 
or  suffering  that  you  are  suffering  within  your- 
self the  same  pain  too.  Our  plain  English  word, 
fellow-feeling,  is  the  same  in  its  force.  Seeing 
the  suffering  of  some  one  else  so  moves  you  that 
the  same  suffering  is  going  on  inside  you  as  you 
see  in  them.  This  is  the  great  word  used  so 
often  of  Jesus,  and  by  Him. 

There  never  lived  a  man  who  had  such  a  pas- 
sion for  men  as  Jesus.  He  lived  to  win  them 
out  of  their  distressed,  sinful,  needy  lives  up  to 
a  new  level.  He  died  to  win  them.  His  last  act 
was  dying  to  win  men.  His  last  word  was,  "Go 
ye  and  win  men."  And  His  first  act  when  He 
got  back  home,  all  scarred  and  marred  by  His 
contact  with  earth,  was  to  send  down  the  same 
Spirit  as  swayed  Him  those  human  years  to  live 
in  us  that  we  might  have  the  same  passion  for 
winning  men  as  He.  Aye,  and  the  same  exqui- 
site tact  in  doing  it  as  He  had. 

I  said  the  last  act  was  dying  to  win  men.  And 
you  remember  that  even  in  the  act  of  dying.  He 
forgot  the  keen  pain  of  body,  and  the  far  keener 
pain  of  spirit,  to  turn  His  head  as  far  as  He 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.       89 

could  turn  it,  and  speak  the  word  to  the  fellow  by 
His  side  that  meant  the  difference  of  a  world  to 
him.  Surely  it  was  the  ruling  passion  with  Him 
to  win  men,  strong  in  death,  aye,  strongest  in 
death,  and  finding  its  strongest  expression  in 
His  death. 


Counting  on  Us. 

Somebody  has  supposed  the  scene  that  he 
thinks  may  have  taken  place  after  Jesus  went 
back.  The  last  the  earth  sees  of  Him  is  the 
cloud — not  a  rain  cloud,  a  glory  cloud — that 
sweeps  down  and  conceals  Him  from  view. 
And  the  earth  has  not  seen  Him  since.  Though 
the  old  Boojc  does  say  that  some  day  He's  com- 
ing back  in  just  the  same  way  as  He  went  away, 
and  some  of  us  are  strongly  inclined  to  think  it 
will  be  as  the  Book  says  in  that  regard. 

But — have  you  ever  tried  to  think  of  what  took 
place  on  the  other  side  of  that  cloud?  He  has 
been  gone  down  there  on  the  earth  thirty-odd 
years.  It's  a  long  time.  And  they're  fairly 
hungry  in  their  eyes  for  a  look  again  at  that 
blessed  old  face.  And  I  have  imagined  them 
crowding  down  to  where  they  may  get  the  first 
glimpse  of  His  face  again.  And,  do  you  know, 
lately  I  have  been  wondering,  with  the  softening 
of  awe  creeping  into  the  thought,  whether — the 
Father — did  not  come  the  very  first  of  them  all 


90  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

and — touch  His  lips  up  to  where — the  scars  were 
in  Jesus'  brow  and  cheeks — ^yes,  His  hands — and 
His  feet,  too.  Tell  me,  you  fathers  here  listen- 
ing, would  you  not  have  done  something  like 
that  with  your  boy,  under  such  circumstances  ? 

You  mothers,  wouldn't  you  have  been  doing 
something  like  that  with  your  boy  ?  And  all  the 
fatherhood  of  earth  is  named  after  the  father- 
hood of  heaven,  we're  told.  And  with  God 
fatherhood  means  motherhood  too,  you  know. 
I  do  not  know  if  it  were  so.  But  I  think  it's 
likely.     It  would  be  just  like  God. 

But  this  friend  I  speak  of  has  supposed  that, 
after  the  first  flush  of  feeling  has  spent  itself — 
the  way  we  speak  of  such  things  done  here,  the 
Master  is  walking  down  the  golden  street  one 
day,  arm  in  arm  with  Gabriel,  talking  intently, 
earnestly.     Gabriel  is  saying 

"Master,  you  died  for  the  whole  world  down 
there,  did  you  not?" 

"Yes." 

"You  must  have  suffered  much,"  with  an  ear- 
nest look  into  that  great  face  with  its  unremovable 
marks. 

"Yes,"  again  comes  the  answer  in  a  wondrous 
voice,  very  quiet,  but  strangely  full  of  deepest 
feeling. 

"And  do  they  all  know  about  it  ?" 

"Oh,  no !  Only  a  few  in  Palestine  know  about 
it  so  far." 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.        91 

"Well,  Master,  what's  your  plan  ?  What  have 
you  done  about  telling  the  world  that  you  died 
for,  that  you  have  died  for  them  ?  What's  your 
plan?" 

"Well,"  the  Master  is  supposed  to  answer,  "I 
asked  Peter,  and  James  and  John,  and  little 
Scotch  Andrew,  and  some  more  of  them  down 
there  just  to  make  it  the  business  of  their  lives 
to  tell  others,  and  the  others  are  to  tell  others, 
and  the  others  others,  and  yet  others,  and  still 
others,  until  the  last  man  in  the  farthest  circle 
has  heard  the  story  and  has  felt  the  thrilling  and 
the  thralling  power  of  it." 

And  Gabriel  knows  us  folk  down  here  pretty 
well.  He  has  had  more  than  one  contact  with 
the  earth.  He  knows  the  kind  of  stuff  in  us. 
And  he  is  supposed  to  answer,  with  a  sort  of  hesi- 
tating reluctance,  as  though  he  could  see  difficul- 
ties in  the  working  of  the  plan,  "Yes — but — sup- 
pose Peter  fails.  Suppose  after  a  while  John 
simply  does  not  tell  others.  Suppose  their  de- 
scendants, their  successors  away  off  in  the  first 
edge  of  the  twentieth  century,  get  so  busy  about 
things — some  of  them  proper  enough,  some  may 
be  not  quite  so  proper — that  they  do  not  tell 
others — zvhat  then?" 

And  his  eyes  are  big  with  the  intenseness  of 
his  thought,  for  he  is  thinking  of — the  suffering, 
and  he  is  thinking  too  of  the  difference  to  the 
man  who  hasn't  been  told — "what  then.^" 


92  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

And  back  comes  that  quiet  wondrous  voice  of 
Jesus,  ''Gabriel,  /  haven't  made  any  other  plans — 
I'm  counting  on  them." 


The  Secret  of  Winsomeness. 

That's  a  bit  of  this  friend's  imagination,  it's 
true.  But — it's  the  whole  Gospel  story,  through 
and  through.  Jesus  has  made  that  plan.  He 
has  not  made  any  other  plan.  He's  counting  on 
us,  each  of  us,  each  in  his  own  circle,  in  his  own 
way,  as  comes  best,  most  natural  to  him  tactfully, 
quietly,  earnestly — simply  that,  but  all  of  that. 
And — if — we  fail — Him — let  me  be  saying  it 
very  softly  so  the  seriousness  of  it  may  get  into 
the  inner  cockles  of  our  hearts — if  we  fail  Him, 
just  that  far  we  make  Jesus'  dying  a  failure  so 
far  as  concerns  those  whom  we  touch. 

Yes,  I  know  that  sounds  very  serious.  I'd 
rather  not  be  saying  it.  I'm  sure,  by  the  Book, 
it  is  so.  And  so,  do  you  see  the  genius — may  I 
use  that  word  very  reverently  of  Him  who  was 
a  man  and  far  more  than  man — ^the  genius  of 
His  plan?  He  sent  down  the  same  Spirit  that 
swayed  Him  those  human  years  to  live  in  us, 
and  control  us,  that  we  might  have  the  same  fine 
passion  for  men  as  He,  and  the  same  exquisite 
tact  in  winning  them  as  He  had. 

It  must  be  a  passion;  a  fire  burning  with  the 
steady  flame   of   anthracite  fed   by  a  constant 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.        93 

stream  of  oil.  If  it  be  less  we  will  be  swept  off 
our  feet  by  the  tides  all  around,  or  sucked  under 
by  their  swift  current.  And  many  a  splendid 
man  to-day  is  being  swept  off  his  feet  and  sucked 
under  by  the  tides  and  currents  of  life  because 
no  such  passion  as  this  is  mooring  and  steadying 
and  driving  his  whole  life. 

It  must  be  a  passion  for  winning  men;  not 
driving  nor  dragging,  drazmng.  Not  argument 
nor  coercion  but  warm,  winsome  wooing.  To- 
day the  sun  up  yonder  is  drawing  up  toward  it- 
self thousands  of  tons'  weight  of  water.  No- 
body sees  it  going,  except  perhaps  in  very  small 
part.  There's  no  noise  or  dust.  But  the  water 
rises  up  irresistibly  toward  the  sun  because  of 
the  winning  power  in  the  sun  for  the  water.  It 
must  be  something  like  that  in  this  higher  sphere. 
A  winsomeness  in  us  that  will  win  men  to  us 
and  through  us  to  the  Master. 

"Oh!  well,"  some  one  says,  "if  you  put  the 
thing  that  way  you'll  have  to  count  me  out.  I'm 
not  winsome  that  way."  Well,  maybe  you  need 
not  have  bothered  to  say  it.  We  could  easily 
know  that  without  your  saying  it.  We  are  not 
winsome  this  way,  any  of  us,  of  ourselves.  But 
when  we  allow  this  Jesus  Spirit  to  take  posses- 
sion of  us  He  imparts  His  winsomeness.  For 
the  real  secret  of  a  transfigured  life  is  a  trans- 
mitted life.  Somebody  else  living  in  us,  with  a 
capital  S  for  that  Somebody,  looking  out  of  our 


94  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

eyes,  giving  His  beauty  to  our  faces,  and  His 
winningness  to  our  personality. 


'*As  the  Stars.' 


The  language  used  in  the  Scriptures  for  this 
sort  of  thing  is  full  of  intense  interest.  Some  time 
ago  I  was  reading  in  the  old  prophecy  of  Daniel. 
I  was  not  thinking  of  this  matter  of  winning 
men  but  simply  trying  to  get  a  fresh  grasp  of 
that  wonderfully  fascinating  old  bit  of  prophecy. 
And  all  at  once  I  came  across  that  gem  in  the 
last  chapter.  I  knew  it  was  there.  You  know 
it  is  there.  Yet  it  came  to  me  with  all  the  fresh- 
ness of  a  new  delightful  surprise.  "They  that 
are  wise  shall  shine  with  the  brightness  of  the 
firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteous- 
ness as  the  stars  forever  and  ever."^ 

Four  times  in  those  last  two  chapters  of  Daniel 
it  refers  to  those  that  are  "wise" ;  literally,  those 
that  are  teachers.  Those  who  have  themselves 
learned  the  truth  and  are  patiently,  faithfully, 
winsomely  telling  and  teaching  others.  The 
word  used  for  influencing  the  others  is  full  of 
practical  picturesque  meaning.  "They  that  turn 
many."  As  if  a  man  were  going  the  wrong 
way  on  a  dangerous  road.  And  /  know  it's 
the  wrong  way.  There's  a  sharp  precipice 
ahead.    But  he  is  going  steadily  on,  head  down, 

*  Daniel  xii:  3. 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.        95 

all  absorbed,  not  noticing  where  the  road 
leads. 

I  might  go  up  to  him,  and  strike  him  sharply 
on  the  shoulder  to  get  his  attention,  and  say, 
"See  here,  you're  going  the  wrong  way;  can't 
you  see  the  danger  ahead  there?  Come  this 
way,"  with  a  vigorous  pull.  I  have  sometimes 
seen  that  done,  in  just  that  way.  And  if  the 
man  is  an  American,  or  an  Englishman,  or  a  Ger- 
man,— we're  all  very  much  alike, — he  will  say 
coldly,  "Excuse  me.  I  think  I  can  take  care  of 
myself.  Thank  you.  I'll  look  out  for  this  indi- 
vidual." 

Or,  I  might  slip  gently  up  to  the  man,  and  get 
my  arm  in  his,  and  begin  to  turn,  very  gently  at 
first,  and  turn,  and  turn,  and  then  turn  some 
more,  and  then  farther  around  still,  and  walk 
him  off  the  other  way.  You  will  have  to  get 
close  to  a  man  to  do  that.  Some  folks  never  do. 
And  you'll  have  to  be  at  least  half-way  decent 
in  your  life  to  get  close.  Some  folks  never  can. 
And  you  will  need  to  be  warm  enough  all  the 
time  inside,  to  melt  through  the  icy  cloak  of 
indifference  beneath  which  his  heart  may  be 
wrapped  up.  But  I  can  tell  you  this:  the  old 
world  where  you  and  I  live  is  fairly  hungry  at  its 
heart,  with  an  eating  hunger  for  turners  of  that 
sort. 

And  the  promise  of  that  old  prophetic  bit  is 
this :  "They  shall  shine  J'    You  know  everybody 


96  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

wants  to  shine.  It  is  right  to  be  ambitious,  with 
a  right  ambition.  But  if  any  of  you  are  ambi- 
tious to  shine  in  some  other  sky  than  this,  in  your 
profession,  in  social  life  or  in  some  firmament 
lower  than  this,  may  I  gently  make  this  sugges- 
tion to  you?  Do  your  best  shining  now.  Get 
on  the  brightest  shining  surface  possible  now. 
For  this  is  your  shining  time.  This  is  the  sky- 
time  for  that  sort  of  thing.  It  won't  last  long, 
I  must  tell,  you  frankly.  And  at  the  end  a  bitter 
biting  at  your  heart. 

I  am  fond  of  watching  a  display  of  fireworks 
on  a  Fourth  of  July  night.  Perhaps  the  night 
is  clear,  the  sky  full  of  stars,  bright  and  spark- 
ling. A  sky  rocket  is  sent  off.  It  goes  up 
with  a  rush  and  a  noise.  There  is  a  dash  of 
many  colored  beautiful  fire-stars.  And  a  mur- 
mur of  admiration  from  the  crowd.  For  a 
few  moments  you  can  see  nothing  as  you  look 
up  but  this  handful  of  fire-stars.  The  clear 
quiet  stars  beyond  are  eclipsed  for  a  narrow 
circle  of  space,  and  for  a  few  moments  of 
time. 

It  doesn't  last  long.  A  small  fraction  of  a 
minute  at  the  most.  Then  it's  all  over.  And 
all  that  is  left  is  a  charred  stick  that  sticks  in  the 
mud,  nobody  knows  where,  nor  cares.  But  look 
up  yonder,  the  stars  you  could  not  see  a  moment 
ago  for  these  momentary  ones  are  shining  more 
brightly  than  ever  by  contrast,  ^ 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.       97 

** .   .   .   And  singing  as  they  shine, 
The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

You  shine  in  the  lower  skies  if  you  will.  And 
of  course  you  will  if  you  will.  You  will  do  as 
you  will  to  do.  But,  at  the  end — a  charred  stick, 
a  bad  taste  in  your  mouth,  a  sharp  tugging  at 
your  heart.  And  the  story's  told.  The  last 
chapter's  ended.  The  book  is  shut.  But  they 
whose  one  absorbing  ambition  it  is  to  turn  others 
to  righteousness  may  not  shine  much  here  in 
earth's  skies.  And  they  may  a  bit,  and  it  recks 
precious  little  either  way.  But  they  shall  shine 
as  the  stars,  as  bright  and  as  long. 

It  does  not  mean  Atlantic  coast  stars.  It 
means  desert  stars,  Babylonian  stars,  where  one 
can  see  so  many  more  than  here.  They  shake 
their  wondrous  fire-light  down  into  your  face, 
and  fairly  dazzle  your  eyes.  You  "shall  shine 
as  the  stars,"  as  bright  and  as  long. 

The  Finest  Wisdom. 

James,  the  head  of  the  Jerusalem  Church,  closes 
up  his  letter  to  the  dispersed  Jews  with  this  same 
word  as  Daniel  uses.  He  would  have  all  to 
whom  he  is  writing  understand  that  he  that 
turns  another  from  the  wrong  way  will  save  a 
soul  from  death  and  hide  away  out  of  sight  and 
reach  a  mass  of  sin.^     The  old  world  needs  more 

*  James  v:  19* 


98  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

saving  societies  and  saving  individuals  of  this 
sort. 

We  have  gotten  great  skill  in  saving  dollars. 
Men  give  their  w^hole  strength  and  time  to  that. 
There  is  something  much  higher,  infinitely 
higher,  saving  souls,  rescuing  lives,  treasuring 
up  precious  men  and  women.  These  people, 
James  says,  are  famous  for  their  use  of  the  fine 
cloak  of  charity.  They  make  the  best  use  of  it 
in  hiding  away  beyond  any  chance  of  being 
found  a  great  mass  of  ugly,  crooked,  poisonous 
sins. 

The  man  with  the  reputation  of  being  the 
wisest  man  gives  a  special  definition  of  wisdom. 
The  old  version  runs,  "he  that  winneth  souls  is 
wise."^  This  is  a  great  statement  from  Solo- 
mon's pen.  He  had  searched  into  all  the  ave- 
nues of  men's  pursuits.  He  was  a  great  experi- 
menter. Everything  was  put  to  a  personal  test. 
He  amassed  wealth  beyond  all  others.  He 
delved  into  the  fascinations  of  intellectual  de- 
lights, of  deep  intricate  philosophies  and  prob- 
lems. 

He  knew  the  subtle  appeal  to  strong  men  that 
there  is  in  deftly  handling  and  controlling  men, 
personally  and  in  large  numbers.  He  had  tasted 
the  rich  wines  of  pleasure  as  had  few.  This  is 
his  conclusion :  the  wise  man  is  he  that  gives  his 
strength  with  all  of  its  fine-grained  cunning  to 
*  Proverbs  xi:  30. 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.        99 

wooing  men  back,  through  the  old  Eden  gate,  up 
to  the  tree  of  life. 

This  is  the  finest  fruitage  any  life  can  yield. 
This  will  be  to  the  bearer  of  it  a  tree  of  life  giv- 
ing twelve  crops  of  fruits,  a  crop  of  every  month, 
a  perennial,  alike  in  heat  and  frost,  in  storm  and 
drought,  and  with  a  peculiar  healing  quality  in 
its  green  leaves  for  all  men. 

The  revised  version  gives  a  fine  turn  to  this 
old  bit,  exactly  reversing  the  first  statement. 
"He  that  Is  wise  winneth  souls."  The  old  phi- 
losopher says  that  here  is  the  real  test  of  wisdom. 
He  that  is  a  wise  man  gives  the  cream  of  his 
thought  and  wisdom  to  personal  influence  with 
men.  He  thinks  the  thing  best  worth  while  is 
drawing  a-  man  through  the  inner  reach  upon 
his  thinking  and  affections  and  will  away  from 
the  im.pure  and  ignoble  and  deceptive  up  into 
touch  with  his  first  Friend. 

And  he  finds  too  that  nothing  he  has  ever 
undertaken  calls  for  a  finer  play  of  all  his  powers 
at  their  best.  All  the  diplomacy  and  fineness 
and  tact  and  keen  management  at  his  command 
will  be  called  upon.  He  must  be  a  wise  man  to 
do  such  work.  It  is  no  fool's  errand  this.  It 
demands  the  best  in  the  best. 

There  is  no  body  of  men  more  keen  or  skilled 
in  the  handling  and  influencing  of  men,  than  the 
politicians.  And  I  use  the  word  in  its  fine  mean- 
ing, as  well  as  in  its  cheaper  meanings.    As  de- 


loo  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

mocracy  has  won  its  way  increasingly  among 
the  governments  of  earth  these  politicians  have 
increased  in  number  and  in  influence.  Great 
measures  of  government  have  depended  on  their 
skill  in  manipulating  men.  Rarest  subtlety  and 
adroitness  and  rugged  honesty  have  blended  in 
the  strongest  of  these  leaders. 

The  fishing  simile  so  commonly  used  in  the 
winning  of  men  over  to  one's  side  is  a  peculiarly 
attractive,  a  matchless  simile.  And  all  of  this 
handling  of  men  has  often  been  for  personal 
ends,  often  for  wholly  selfish  ends,  often  for 
strong  national  ends.  Almost  never  has  it  been 
for  the  benefit  of  the  man  being  won,  save  at 
times  very  remotely. 

But  Jesus  would  have  us  become  skilled  diplo- 
mats in  winning  men  for  their  own  sakes.  Get- 
ting them  to  climb  the  hills  for  the  sake  of  the 
air  and  view  they  will  get,  and  enjoy.  We  are 
to  win  strong  men  full  of  life  and  vigor  and 
manly  force  up  into  touch  with  their  Friend, 
Himself. 

There  is  too  a  most  attracti/e  winsome  phrase 
on  the  Master's  lips  at  the  close  of  that  fishing 
story  in  Luke's  fifth  chapter,^  "From  henceforth 
thou  shall  catch  men"  is  the  reading.  But  the 
revised  margin  gives  this  added  bit  of  color: 
"Thou  shalt  take  men  alive."  They  should  get, 
not   dead   fish,   but   living   men.     Men   full   of 

*  Luke  v:  lo. 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.      lOi 

vigor  and  life — thou  shalt  have  power  to  sway 
these  and  induce  them  up  to  the  highlands  of  a 
new  life 


Three  Essentials. 

There  are  three  simple  essentials  here  for  the 
man  who  would  be  following  his  Master  fully. 
The  first  is  that  a  man  shall  surrender  himself 
wholly  to  Jesus  as  a  Master.  That  so  Jesus 
may  have  the  full  control  of  all.  Maybe 
some  one  thinks,  "There  is  that  strong  word 
surrender  again.  Cannot  I  help  a  man  be  bet- 
ter without  going  so  far  as  that  word  seems  to 
imply?" 

Will  you  kindly  notice  that  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
ails  the  surrendered  man?  And  it  is  only  as 
that  Spirit  does  fill  and  sway  that  there  can  be 
any  such  passion  for  men  as  Jesus  had,  and,  too, 
the  fine  tact  that  He  always  used.  This  is  the 
first  simple  indispensable  essential. 

The  second  is  this :  a  bit  of  quiet  time  alone 
with  Jesus  daily  over  His  Word.  The  door 
should  be  shut.  Outside  things  shut  outside. 
And  one's  self  shut  in  alone  with  the  Master. 
This  is  not  a  good  thing — merely.  I  am  not 
recommending  it  to  you.  I  am  saying  very 
much  more.  It  is  an  essential  thing  with  every 
one  who  would  follow  the  Master  simply  and 
fully.     It  is  time  spent  in  coaling  up,  taking  put 


I02  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

the  dead  ashes,  and  readjusting  the  drafts,  so 
the  fires  will  be  kept  burning  steadily  and  clear!}'. 
This  is  the  second  great  essential. 

The  third  essential  is  this:  a  purpose,  deep- 
seated,  rock-rooted,  underlying  every  other  pur- 
pose, taking  precedence  of  every  other,  of  trying 
to  win  others,  one  by  one,  bit  by  bit,  over  to  know- 
ing Jesus  personally.  I  say  ''trying."  I  like  that 
word.  There  may  be  some  blunders,  some  bad 
steps,  some  untactful  work.  But  these  will  not 
turn  one  aside  from  this  purpose  but  simply 
make  him  more  determined  to  become  skilled  in 
this  finest  art. 

I  mean  something  like  this.  Here  is  a  young 
woman  moving  in  a  social  circle,  just  as  bright 
and  winsome  as  God  meant  every  young  woman 
to  be.  And  as  she  moves  about,  she  is  thinking 
— no,  it  is  thinking  itself  out,  underneath  in  her 
subtle  sub-consciousness, — ''How  can  I  drop  the 
word  here,  and  touch  there,  and  leave  the  light 
impress  here,  that  shall  count  with  these  lives 
for  my  Master?" 

Here  is  a  man  transacting  business  with 
another.  And  even  while  he  is  dealing  with  fig- 
ures, and  contract  terms,  he  is  thinking, — no, 
again, — it  is  so  deeply  rooted  in  that  the  thought, 
like  the  fine  trendils  of  a  plant,  is  ever  weav- 
ing itself  intangibly  but  surely  into  the  web  of 
his  passing  mental  operations,  "How  can  I  tact- 
fully leave  the  impress  here,  perhaps  speak  the 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.      103 

direct  word,  that  shall  be  a  doorway  for  Jesus 
into  this  life?" 


'A  Blessed  Library  Corner. 

I  think  I  might  tell  you  best  just  what  I  mean 
by  a  bit  from  a  real  life.  The  bit  that  has  been 
such  a  real  inspiration  to  myself.  It  is  about 
a  friend  of  mine,  a  business  man,  with  large 
responsible  interests,  keen  and  shrewd  in  his 
business  dealings,  a  very  earnest  Christian  man, 
with  a  delightful,  winning  personality,  and  I  am 
grateful  to  say  who  was  a  warm  friend  of  mine. 
He  is  in  the  presence  of  his  Master  now.  He 
was  a  man  much  my  senior  in  years,  who  helped 
me  very  greatly.  Whenever  we  chanced  to 
meet  in  our  travels  I  would  drop  my  affairs  as 
far  as  I  could  to  spend  all  the  time  possible  with 
him,  both  for  the  delight  of  his  presence,  and  for 
the  practical  help  he  always  was.  The  last  time 
we  were  ever  together  was  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 
We  met  there  to  attend  an  anniversary  meeting 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  in 
Dr.  Gladden's  Church,  on  the  Capitol  Square. 
And  Monday  morning  before  taking  our  trains 
away  in  different  directions  we  went  for  a  drive, 
to  get  the  air,  and  talk  a  bit.  I  made  the  sug- 
gestion of  driving,  for  I  knew  I  would  get  some- 
thing from  him.  And  I  was  right.  I  did  get 
something  that  I  never  forgot,  and  never  shall. 


I04  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

As  we  were  driving,  and  talking,  by  and  by, 
in  a  little  lull  of  the  talk,  he  said  very  quietly, 
"Gordon,  do  you  know  what  I  have  been  doing 
lately?"  And  I  said,  "No."  "Well,"  he  said, 
"it's  been  the  delight  of  my  life,"  and  I  could  see 
the  gleam  of  light  in  his  eyes.  And  I  said,  "Tell 
me  what  it  is  that  has  been  such  a  pleasure  to 
you."  And  he  said,  "Well,  I  will."  Then  he 
went  on  in  a  very  taking  way  he  had  to  tell  this 
simple  story.  And  he  was  speaking  as  to  a 
friend,  for  he  was  very  modest,  and  would  not 
have  spoken  of  the  thing;  except  to  help;  that 
would  always  bring  anything  he  had. 

He  said  when  he  was  at  home — he  travelled 
much — he  would  think  about  the  young  men 
whom  he  knew  who  were  not  Christians. 
Splendid  men,  some  of  them;  full  of  power; 
clubmen,  some  of  them.  But  who  did  not  know 
Jesus  personally.  And  he  would  think,  "Now 
there's  such  a  man.  I  wonder  what's  his  easy 
side  of  approach."  And  he  would  think  about 
him,  and  pray  some  about  him.  And  then  make 
an  opportunity  to  ask  him  up  to  his  home  for  din- 
ner some  evening.  His  position  in  the  city 
would  make  any  young  man  feel  honored  with 
such  an  invitation. 

He  said  to  me,  "We  have  a  pleasant  time  at 
the  dinner  table  with  the  family,  and  afterwards, 
a  bit  of  music  and  so  on.  Then,"  with  a  quiet 
smile  he  said,  "I  ask  him  into  my  library  corner, 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.      105 

my  little  study  den,  and  by  and  by  we  come  to 
close  quarters.  I  tell  him  what  I'm  thinking 
about.  I  tell  him  what  a  Friend  Jesus  is.  And 
how  it  helps  to  have  Him  in  all  of  one's  life  as  a 
Friend  and  Master.  Then  I  ask  him  softly  if 
he  won't  let  Jesus  be  his  Friend." 

He  said,  "I  try  to  be  as  tactful  as  though  I 
were  selling  a  contract  of  cars.  Though  there's 
a  fine  reverence  here  that  never  gets  into  busi- 
ness talk.  And  then  if  it  seems  good,  without 
causing  him  any  embarrassment,  we  have  a  bit  of 
prayer  together.  Not  always,  but  often."  And 
he  said  to  me,  with  a  tender  eagerness  in  his 
voice,  ''Gordon,  it's  been  the  delight  of  my  life 
to  have  man  after  man  accept  Jesus  in  my 
library  corner." 

And  I  looked  at  him.  We  were  driving  along 
the  busiest  block  of  the  busiest  street  in  Colum- 
bus. The  Capitol  building  on  this  side.  And 
the  old  Neil  Hotel  on  this.  And  all  around  us 
were  the  electrics,  and  wagons  and  carriages ;  so 
much  noise  and  dust.  And  there  that  man  sat 
by  my  side  so  quiet,  with  his  eyes  dancing  as  they 
looked  off  at  something  I  could  not  see.  And 
if  ever  Moses'  face  shined  or  Stephen's,  his  did 
that  morning. 

I  was  caught  as  I  looked.  That  was  the  de- 
light of  his  Hfe.  Not  his  money,  nor  his  busi- 
ness, nor  his  social  relations,  though  he  took  keen 
interest  in  all  of  these,  but  this.    And  the  sound 


io6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

of  his  voice,  and  the  sight  of  his  face  that  morn- 
ing, seemed  to  kindle  the  fires  in  my  heart  that  I 
might,  in  my  own  way,  as  came  best  to  me,  be 
doing  something  of  that  same  sort.  That  is  what 
I  mean  by  a  deep-seated  purpose,  under  every 
other,  to  try  to  win  men. 

I  was  telling  this  story  one  night  to  some  peo- 
ple in  his  state,  not  thinking  that  I  was  within 
maybe  two  hundred  miles  of  his  home.  And 
as  the  audience  was  dismissed  I  saw  a  man  com- 
ing up  the  aisle  toward  the  pulpit,  apparently  to 
meet  me.  So  I  went  down  his  way.  He  looked 
like  a  business  fellow,  with  a  clean-cut  way  about 
him,  and  a  strong  manly  face.  Before  we  met 
I  noticed  something  glistening  in  his  eye,  and  yet 
a  smile  across  his  lips. 

And  he  gripped  my  hand.  I  can  feel  that  grip 
now.  And  he  half-blurted  out,  "I'm  one  of  those 
fellows!  And  there  are  a  lot  of  us  that  are 
thanking  God  with  full  hearts  for  that  man's 
library  room."  And  the  grip  of  that  hand 
seemed  to  make  the  fires  within  burn  just  a  bit 
stiffen 

In  an  after  conversation  this  friend  told  me 
how  he  had  wanted  to  be  a  Christian,  but  didn't 
seem  to  know  just  how.  And  nobody  had  ever 
spoken  to  him  about  it,  he  said,  though  so  often 
he  had  wished  somebody  would.  There  are  a 
great  many  just  like  him  in  that. 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.      107 
Two  Missing''— "Go  Ye!' 


Same  years  ago  I  was  a  guest  at  a  small  wed- 
ding dinner  party  in  New  York  City.  A  Scotch- 
Irish  gentleman,  well  known  in  that  city,  an  old 
friend,  spoke  across  the  table  to  me.  He  said 
he  had  heard  recently  a  story  of  the  Scottish 
hills  that  he  wanted  to  tell.  And  we  all  listened 
as  he  told  this  simple  tale.  I  have  heard  it  since 
from  other  lips,  variously  told.  But  good  gold 
shines  better  by  the  friction  of  use.  And  I  want 
to  tell  it  to  you  as  my  old  friend  from  the  Scotch 
end  of  Ireland  told  it  that  evening. 

It  was  of  a  shepherd  in  the  Scottish  hills  who 
had  brought  his  sheep  back  to  the  fold  for  the 
night,  and  as  he  was  arranging  matters  for  the 
night  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  two  of  the 
sheep  were  missing.  He  looked  again.  Yes, 
two  were  missing.  And  he  knew  which  two. 
These  shepherds  are  keen  to  know  their  sheep. 
He  was  much  surprised,  and  went  to  the  out- 
house of  his  dwelling  to  call  his  collie. 

There  she  lay  after  the  day's  work  suckling  her 
own  little  ones.  He  called  her.  She  looked  up 
at  him.  He  said,  "Two  are  missing" — holding  up 
two  fingers — "Away  by,  Collie,  and  get  them." 
Without  moving  she  looked  up  into  his  face,  as 
though  she  would  say,  "You  wouldn't  send  me 
out  again  to-night? — it's  been  a  long  day — I'm 
so    tired — not    again    to-night."     So    her    eyes 


io8  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

seemed  to  say.  And  again  as  many  a  time  doubt- 
less, "Away  by,  and  get  the  sheep,"  he  said. 
And  out  she  went. 

About  midnight  a  scratching  at  the  door 
aroused  him.  He  found  one  of  the  sheep  back. 
He  cared  for  it.  A  bit  of  warm  food,  and  the 
like.  Then  out  again  to  the  out-house.  There 
the  dog  lay  with  her  little  ones.  Again  he  called 
her.  She  looked  up.  "Get  the  other  sheep,"  he 
said.  I  do  not  know  if  you  men  listening  are  as 
fond  of  a  good  collie  as  I  am.  Their  eyes  seem 
human  to  me,  almost,  sometimes.  And  hers 
seemed  so  as  she  looked  up  and  seemed  to  be  say- 
ing out  of  their  great  depths — "Not  again — to- 
night?— haven't  I  been  faithful? — I'm  so  tired — 
not  again !" 

And  again  as  I  suppose  many  a  time  before, 
"Away  by,  and  get  the  sheep."  And  out  she 
went.  About  two  or  three,  again  the  scratching. 
And  he  found  the  last  sheep  back;  badly  torn; 
been  down  some  ravine  or  gully.  And  the  dog 
was  plainly  played.  And  yet  she  seemed  to  give 
a  bit  of  a  wag  to  her  tired  tail  as  though  she 
would  say,  "There  it  is — I've  done  as  you  bade 
me — it's  back." 

And  he  cared  for  its  needs,  and  then  before 
lying  down  again  to  his  own  rest,  thought  he 
would  go  and  praise  the  dog  for  her  faithful 
work.  You  know  how  sensitive  collies  are  to 
praise  or  criticism.     He  went  out  and  stooped 


A  Passion  for  Winning  Men.      109 

over  with  a  pat  and  a  kindly  word,  and  was 
startled  to  find  that  the  life-tether  had  slipped  its 
hold.  She  lay  there  lifeless,  with  her  little  ones 
tugging  at  her  body. 

That  was  only  a  dog.  We  are  men.  Shall  I 
apologize  for  using  a  dog  for  an  illustration? 
No.  I  will  not.  One  of  God's  creatures,  having 
a  part  in  His  redemption.  That  was  to  save 
sheep.  You  and  I  are  sent,  not  to  save  sheep, 
but  to  save  men.  And  how  much  then  is  a  man 
better  than  a  sheep,  or  anything  else ! 

And  our  Master  stands  here  to-day.  Would 
that  you  and  I  might  see  His  face  with  the  thorn 
marks  of  His  trip  to  this  earth.  He  points  out 
with  His  hand.  And  you  can't  miss  a  peculiar 
hole  in  its  palm.  He  says,  "There  are  two  miss- 
ing— aye,  more  than  two — ^that  you  know — that 
you  touch — that  you  can  touch — that  I  died  for — 
go  ye/' 

Shall  we  go?  For  Jesus'  sake?  Yes,  for 
men's  sake ;  splendid  men,  befooled  about  Jesus, 
who  can  get  Him  only  through  us  in  touch  with 
Him — for  men's  sake,  in  Jesus'  great  Name. 


DEEP-SEA    FISHING:   THE  AMBL 
TION    OF    SERVICE. 


A  Wafer  Haul. 

Living  up  in  the  Spirit  Realm, 

Saved  to  Serve. 

Ambition  in  Service. 

Use  What  You  Have. 

Expectancy  in  Service. 

Jesus  Went  info  the  Deeps. 


DEEP-SEA   FISHING:   THE  AMBI- 
TION   OF   SERVICE. 

(Luke  v:  i-ii.) 

'A  Wafer  Haul. 

Jesus  was  very  fond  of  the  outdoors.  The 
Gospels  have  a  woodsy  smell.  He  taught  in  the 
synagogues,  but  He  seemed  to  prefer  the  open 
air.  He  would  go  out  on  a  country  road,  or 
down  by  the  beach  of  the  Galilean  lake,  and  the 
people  would  eagerly  gather  around  Him,  and 
He  would  talk  to  them.  One  morning  He  had 
gone  down  to  the  lake  shore.  The  people 
crowded  in  about  Him  and  He  commenced  as 
usual  to  talk  to  them. 

But  so  eager  were  they  not  to  miss  a  word  that 
they  pressed  in  about  Him  very  close.  He  was 
standing  with  His  back  to  the  water  likely,  and 
the  people  seemed  likely  to  crowd  Him  over  into 
the  water.  So  He  looked  around  for  something 
to  do.  He  was  ever  practical  to  the  point  of 
being  matter-of-fact.  A  practical  idealist  was 
Jesus,  the  practical  Idealist.  Peter  was  down 
there,  just  a  short  distance  off,  with  his  partners 
and  crew  in  their  fishing  boats,  cleaning  up  after 
113 


114  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

the  night's  haul.  Lifting  His  voice  a  little,  Jesus 
called  out,  'Teter,  will  you  pull  around  here, 
please." 

And  Peter  did.  And  Jesus,  stepping  into  the 
boat,  sat  down,  and  went  on  talking  to  the  peo- 
ple. Interruptions  never  seemed  to  disturb  Him. 
He  seemed  to  regard  them  in  the  light  of  pos- 
sible index  fingers  pointing  out  the  next  thing  to 
be  done.  Every  missionary,  foreign  and  home, 
has  to  get  practised  in  just  that,  while  holding 
steady  to  his  underlying  purpose. 

When  He  had  finished  talking,  He  turned  to 
Peter  and  said  quietly,  "Launch  out  into  the  deep, 
and  let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught."  And 
Peter  smiled  at  the  very  idea,  as  he  said,  ''Master, 
we've  been  out  the  whole  night,  and  haven't 
caught  a  thing,  nothing  but  a  water  haul,  but" — 
with  a  thoughtful  earnestness  taking  the  place  of 
the  critical  smile — "if  you  say  so,  of  course  we 
will."  And  the  Master  said  so.  And  now  they 
can't  handle  the  haul. 

I  want  to  bring  to  you  anew  this  old  word  of 
command  from  Jesus'  lips :  "Launch  out  into  the 
deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught." 
These  men  in  the  story  had  failed.  They  had 
gone  out  the  evening  before  intending  and  ex- 
pecting to  bring  home  a  fine  haul  of  fish  for  the 
Capernaum  or  the  Bethsaida  market.  They 
came  back  with  nothing  for  the  night's  work  but 
tired  muscles  and  torn  nets.     This  message  is  for 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  115 

men  who  have  failed,  or  who  have  seemed  to  fail. 
There  is  no  failure  to  an  earnest  man.  A  man 
cannot  fail  without  his  own  consent.  Every 
seeming  failure  is  the  seed  of  a  coming  success  to 
earnest  men. 

If  any  of  us  have  seemed  to  fail,  our  boots 
have  lead  in  them,  and  our  hearts  are  heavy  too, 
for  lack  of  success — this  message  is  for  us, 
"Launch  out,  and  let  down."  Failure  is  very  apt 
to  breed  discouragement.  Your  clothing  seems 
damp  and  heavy  with  the  dew  of  a  fruitless  night. 
Oftentimes  the  best  thing  for  that  is  action. 
Mix  yourself  with  the  action  of  boats  and  nets 
and  men.     That's  the  Master's  word  here. 

Living  up  itt  the  Spirit  Realm. 

There  are  three  facts  that  group  about  the 
message  of  Jesus  in  this  story.  And  those  same 
three  facts  need  to  group  themselves  in  bold  out- 
line about  our  using  of  it,  too.  The  first  is 
this:  there  was  contact  with  Jesus  as  a  Master, 
That  must  come  in,  and  come  in  strong,  before 
there  can  be  any  right  using  of  this  word  of 
command. 

There  needs  to  be  the  first  contact  when  a 
man  turns  over  the  control  of  his  life  to  Jesus  as 
Master.  There  needs  to  be  close  contact  that  the 
Master's  plan  of  service  may  be  clearly  seen  and 
faithfully  started  upon.    There  must  be  continual 


Ii6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

contact  that  so  His  mastery  may  control  and 
guide  at  every  step. 

The  second  fact  is  this:  obedience  to  the 
Master's  word.  Obedience,  mind  you,  whether 
the  thing  you  are  told  to  do  seems  a  likely  thing 
to  do  or  not.  Here  with  the  fishermen  there  were 
some  things  that  pulled  the  other  way.  They  had 
been  out  all  night  and  failed.  The  very  sense 
of  failure  strong  within  them  was  against  obedi- 
ence. Discouraged  men  seldom  succeed  at  any- 
thing. And  there  was  a  very  unlikely  chance 
ahead.  The  time  for  fishing  with  them  was  in 
the  night.  Failure  behind,  and  a  poor  chance 
ahead !    Yet  they  obeyed. 

If  Peter  had  acted  the  way  some  modern  folks 
do  he  would  have  said  something  like  this: 
''You'll  excuse  me,  Master,  for  saying  it;  but — 
this  is  no  time  to  fish  in  these  waters.  Pardon 
me,  sir,  I  have  no  doubt  you  know  about  car- 
pentering. But  I'm  a  -fisherman.  When  it 
comes  to  yokes  and  plows  I'll  gladly  yield  to  you. 
But  fishing — you  see,  I've  been  fishing  ever  since 
I  was  a  boy.  Maybe  up  around  Nazareth,  in  the 
brooks  and  ponds  up  there,  you  can  catch  some- 
thing in  daylight,  but  not  down  here." 

I  have  heard  many  people  talking  that  way. 
But  Peter  didn't.  Aren't  you  glad  he  didn't? 
He  stumbled  often.  He  talked  foolishly  to  Jesus 
more  than  once,  but  not  this  time.  He  obeyed. 
It  was  against  his  habit,  against  his  ideas  of  what 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  117 

was  best,  but  the  message  was  clear  and  he 
obeyed  it.  Happy  is  the  man  who  listens  to  the 
inner  Voice,  learns  keenly  how  to  hear  distinctly 
and  accurately,  and  obeys.  Faith  is  never  con- 
trary to  reason,  but  it  is  frequently  higher  up. 
The  spirit  realm  is  the  highest. 

A  man  should  reach  up  through  his  bodily 
life,  through  a  keen,  strong  intellectual  percep- 
tion and  grasp,  up  into  the  spirit  realm  and  abide 
there.  Many  a  man  of  splendid  ability  and  ear- 
nestness never  shakes  off  his  intellectual  scaffold- 
ing in  the  upward  building.  It  remains  to  hamper 
and  mar.  Through  a  mastered  body,  and  a  dis- 
ciplined mind,  up  to  the  spirit  level  is  the  full 
swing.  Obedience  to  the  clearly  discerned  voice 
of  command  from  the  Master  is  the  one  pathway 
of  full  power. 

The  third  fact  was  sure  to  follow  these  two. 
It  came  last.  There  were  unexpectedly  large 
results.  There  always  will  be  where  the  first  two 
facts  are  faithfully  gotten  in. 

Saved  to  Serve. 


There  is  a  growth  in  this  message  of  Jesus. 
There  are  four  steps  up  and  out.  First  comes 
the  plain  call  to  service:  ''Launch  out."  This  is 
the  ringing  service  call.  It  is  a  familiar  word  to 
a  follower  of  Jesus.  He  was  always  saying,  "Go 
ye."    To  every  man  He  said  first  of  all,  "Come." 


ii8  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Then,  as  quickly  as  a  man  came,  the  word  was 
changed  to  "go." 

I  like  greatly  the  motto  of  the  Salvation  Army. 
It  must  have  been  born  for  those  workers  in  the 
warm  heart  of  the  mother  of  the  Army,  Catha- 
rine Booth.  That  mother  explains  much  of  the 
marvelous  power  of  that  organization.  Their 
motto  is,  "Saved  to  Serve."  Some  seem  to  put 
the  period  in  after  the  first  word.  That's  bad 
punctuatior  aiid  worse  Christianity.  We  are 
saved  to  be  savers.  There  is  needed  the  divine 
Savior  and  the  human  saver.  Only  he  who 
has  been  saved  can  help  save  somebody  else. 
The  tingle  of  experience  in  the  blood  attracts 
men. 

The  Master  says,  "Launch  out."  Get  down 
into  the  thick  of  the  fight.  One  should  not 
unwisely  wear  out  his  strength.  But  on  the  other 
hand,  it's  better  to  wear  out  than  to  rust  out. 
You'll  last  longer,  and  any  loss  of  strength  is  to 
be  preferred  to  the  loss  through  yellow,  eating 
rust.  A  minister  noted  for  his  striking  way  of 
putting  truth  was  preaching  upon  the  words  that 
were  spoken  of  Paul  and  his  companions :  "These 
that  have  turned  the  world  upside  down  are  come 
hither  also."^  He  said  there  were  three  points 
to  his  sermon :  first,  the  world  was  wrong  side 
up;  second,  it  had  to  be  gotten  right  side  up; 
third,  we're  the  fellows  to  do  it.  That  is  the 
*  Acts  xvii:  6. 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  119 

first  note  of  this  message,  we  are  the  fellows  to 
doit. 


Ambition  in  Service. 

The  second  step  in  this  ringing  call  to  service 
is  this :  ambition  in  service.  "Launch  out  into 
the  deep."  The  shore  waters  are  largely  over- 
fished. Out  in  the  deeps  are  fish  that  have  never 
had  smell  or  sight  of  bait  or  net.  Here,  near 
shore,  the  lines  get  badly  tangled  sometimes,  and 
committees  have  to  be  appointed  to  try  to  un- 
tangle the  lines  and  sweeten  up  the  fishermen. 

And  the  fish  get  very  particular  about  the  sort 
and  shape  of  the  bait.  Some  men  have  taken  to 
fishing  whglly  with  pickles,  but  with  very  unsatis- 
factory results.  The  fish  nibble,  but  are  seldom 
landed  apparently.  And  just  a  little  bit  out  are 
fish  that  never  have  gotten  a  suggestion  of  a  good 
bite. 

There  are  deeps  all  around.  One  might  fairly 
give  an  inward  personal  turn  to  the  word.  There 
are  personal  deeps  that  have  not  yet  been 
sounded.  There  are  untouched  deeps  in  prayer, 
in  Bible  study,  and  in  the  winning  of  others. 
There  are  deeps  in  acquaintance  with  Jesus,  in 
purity  of  life,  in  sacrifice  and  in  giving  whose 
bottom  no  greasy  lead  has  yet  touched.  "Out 
into  the  deep,"  comes  that  quiet  intense  inner 
voice  of  Jesus  spoken  into  one's  innermost  heart. 


I20  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

There  are  the  great  deeps  in  service  waiting 
our  coming.  Roundabout  every  church  is  a 
fringe  of  deep,  sometimes  a  deep  fringe  and 
broad,  of  those  practically  untouched  by  the  warm 
message  of  Jesus;  and  around  every  Christian 
Association  of  men  and  of  women.  In  the  heart 
and  on  the  edges  of  every  village  and  town  and 
city  unfathomed  deeps  lie ;  deeps  in  a  man's  own 
state,  deeps  in  our  land,  great  untouched  deeps  in 
the  world. 

Wherever  there  is  a  man  who  has  not  felt  the 
warm  side  of  the  story  of  Jesus'  dying  there  is 
a  deep.  Wherever  a  group  of  such  can  be  found 
is  a  deep  increased  in  depth  by  the  number  in  the 
group.  Wherever  the  great  crowds  are  gathered 
together  to  whom  no  word  at  all  has  come, 
neither  by  personal  touch  nor  printed  page  nor 
any  other  wise,  there  is  the  deepest  deep.  With 
a  deep  glow  in  His  eyes  as  He  speaks  the  word, 
and  the  tenderness  and  softness  of  deep  emotion, 
and  the  earnestness  of  one  who  has  Himself  been 
in  the  deep  Jesus  says  anew  to  us  to-day,  "out 
into  the  deep." 

We  are  to  be  ambitious  in  service.  Jesus  was 
ambitious.  He  reached  out  for  all,  those  near- 
est, those  farthest.  He  talked  of  all  nations,  of 
a  world.  His  follower  must  have  a  long  reach 
to  keep  up.  That  word  ambition  has  been  much 
abused.  It  has  been  used  much  in  connection 
with  selfish  self-seeking,  until  that  meaning  has 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  lai 

become  almost  its  whole  meaning  in  the  thinking 
of  many  people.  But  with  the  purpose  dominant 
in  Jesus  we  can  properly  use  it  in  its  old  literal 
meaning.  Originally  it  simply  meant  going 
around,  being  used  in  the  sense  of  going  out 
among  people  soliciting  their  favor  or  their  votes. 

It  has  the  fine  vitality  of  that  word  **go"  in  it. 
That  for  which  a  man  is  ambitious  decides  the 
quality  of  the  word.  A  pure,  holy  purpose 
makes  the  intense  reaching  for  it  pure  and  holy 
too.  An  intense  reaching  out  to  the  farthest 
reach  of  the  Master's  word,  that  finds  expression 
in  the  dominant  spirit  of  the  life,  in  the  service, 
in  the  giving,  the  sacrificing,  the  praying — this 
is  the  true  ambition. 

Paul  uses  three  times  a  word  that  has  the 
force  of  our  word  ambition.^  The  American 
Revision  uses  ambition  in  the  margin  for  it.  In 
advising  the  group  of  followers  in  Thessalonica 
he  says,  ''Study  to  be  quiet."  The  practical 
force  of  the  phrase  there  is  this :  be»ambitious  to 
be  unambitious  in  the  world's  abused  meaning 
of  ambitious.  In  writing  the  second  time  to  the 
friends  at  Corinth  where  his  motives  had  been 
much  criticised  he  said,  *T  make  it  my  aim  (or 
ambition)  to  be  well-pleasing  unto  Him." 

And  later,  in  writing  to  the  Christians  at  Rome, 
whom  he  had  never  seen,  he  said  that  he  had 

*  I  Thessalonians  iv:  ii;  2  Corinthians  v:  9;  Romans 
XV :  20. 


122  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

made  it  his  aim  or  had  been  ambitious  to  preach 
the  Gospel  where  nobody  had  yet  gone.  The 
literal  meaning  of  the  word  he  uses  is  something 
like  this,  striving  from  a  love  of  honor.  And 
we  may  find  a  fine  meaning  in  that  which  was 
doubtless  used  otherwise. 

It  was  a  matter  of  honor  with  Paul  to  do  as 
he  was  doing.  And  he  would  have  the  honor  of 
having  fully  carried  out  his  Master's  wish.  He 
coveted  earnestly  the  honor  of  being  always  pleas- 
ing to  his  Master  both  in  life  and  in  the  sort  and 
reach  of  his  service.  Here  are  Paul's  three  am- 
bitions :  to  be  wholly  free  of  the  fires  of  worldly 
ambitions ;  to  be  well-pleasing  to  Jesus,  his  Lord ; 
to  reach  out  beyond,  where  nobody  had  yet  gone 
with  the  story  of  Jesus'  dying  and  living  again. 

Paul  was  obeying  Jesus.  Jesus  said  to  those 
fishermen  on  Galilee's  waters,  "Launch  out  into 
the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught." 
Paul  said,  "I  have  steadily  made  it  the  one  thing 
I  drove  hard  at  in  service,  to  get  out  beyond  all 
other  lines  and  nets  to  where  nobody  has  yet 
gone." 

Use  What  You  Have, 


The  third  step  in  this  service-call  is  this :  prac- 
ticality in  service:  "Let  down  your  nets."  I 
can  imagine  Peter  saying,  "Master,  if  we  had 
known  your  plans  for  this  morning,  I  would  have 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  123 

sent  up  to  Tyre  for  the  newest  patented  nets,  or 
down  to  Cairo.  These  nets  of  ours  have  been 
patched  and  patched.  They  are  so  old."  The 
Master  says,  "Let  down  your  nets." 

There  is  a  very  common  delusion  that  holds 
us  back  from  doing  something  because  we  are 
not  skilled  in  doing  it.  "Let  the  pastor  speak 
to  that  young  man ;  I  can't  do  it  very  well."  "I 
can't  teach  very  well ;  let  some  one  else  take  that 
class."  The  Master  says,  "Use  what  you  have." 
Do  your  best.  Your  best  may  not  be  the  best, 
but  if  it  be  your  best,  it  will  be  God-blest,  and  al- 
ways bring  a  harvest. 

Use  what  you  have.  Do  not  despise  the  stuff 
God  put  into  you.  Train  and  discipline  it  the 
best  you  can,  and  use  it.  And  in  using  it  you  will 
be  training  it.  The  best  training  is  in  use. 
Brains  and  pains  and  prayer  are  an  irresistible 
trinity.  When  the  gray  matter  and  the  finger 
tips  and  the  knees  get  into  a  combination  great 
results  always  come. 

The  old  Hebrew  farmer  Shamgar  had  only  a 
long  ox-goad  with  which  to  prod  his  beasts  in  the 
field.  The  traditional  enemy,  the  Philistine, 
comes  up  over  the  hill.  Shamgar's  neighbors 
have  taken  to  their  heels.  But  Shamgar  is  made 
of  different  stuff.  He  asks  a  man  hurrying  by, 
"How  many  do  you  think  there  are?"  And  the 
man  calls  out,  "About  six  hundred,  I  should 
say.*' 


124  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Shamgar  sets  his  jaws  together  hard,  gets  a 
fresh  grip  on  his  ox-goad,  digs  his  heels  into 
the  ground  for  a  good  hold,  and  mutters  to  him- 
self, "I  guess  they  are  about  four  hundred  short." 
And  he  smites,  left  and  right,  up  and  down,  hip 
and  thigh,  with  his  strange  weapon.  And  a 
great  victory  comes  to  the  nation  under  its  new 
leader. 

David  had  only  a  leather  sling,  home-made 
likely,  and  a  few  smooth  stones  out  of  the  run- 
ning brook.  He  had  skill  in  slinging  stones, 
a  keen  trained  eye,  a  steady  nerve,  a  practiced 
arm,  and  well-knit  muscles.  But  what  were 
these  against  a  giant  almost  twice  his  height 
and  years,  and  armed  to  the  teeth?  Yet  the 
ruddy-faced  stripling  had  something  better  yet 
along  with  his  sling  and  stones  and  skill.  He 
had  a  simple  trust  in  God.  He  had  a  hot  protest 
in  his  heart  against  the  slandering  of  God's  peo- 
ple by  this  heathen  giant.  He  combined  all  he 
had,  sling,  stones,  skill,  and  faith,  and  the  laughs 
ing,  sneering  giant  is  soon  under  his  feet,  ancj 
feeling  the  edge  of  his  own  sword.  "Let  down 
your  nets."     Use  what  you  have. 

There  was  a  woman  living  down  by  the  east 
coast  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  a  good  while  ago. 
Her  heart  had  been  touched  by  God,  and  ever 
after  beat  warm  for  others.  But  what  could  she 
do?  She  couldn't  make  speeches,  nor  write 
papers  for  the  missionary  society,  nor  preside 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  125 

over  its  meetings.  She  seemed  to  have  one 
special  gift.  She  could  sew.  She  could  do  plain 
sewing  and  overcast,  cross-stitch  and  hem-stitch. 
I  suppose  she  knew  the  herring-bone-stitch  and 
feather-stitch,  and  other  sorts  too. 

And  so  she  just  busied  herself  finding  out  poor 
folks  who  needed  clothing,  some  women  too 
hard-worked  to  care  for  their  children's  clothing. 
And  she  sewed  for  them.  She  was  a  seamstress 
for  Jesus'  sake  to  all  the  needy  folks  she  could 
find.  I  expect  she  stuck  pretty  closely  to  the 
plain  stitching,  though  likely  as  not  she  would 
put  in  some  of  the  fancy  too  to  please  the  people 
she  was  winning  to  her  Master. 

And  she  sewe^  the  story  of  Jesus,  and  the  heart 
of  Jesus,  into  coats  and  skirts  and  such.  All 
through  Joppa  her  message  went  into  homes  not 
otherwise  open  perhaps.  And  the  women  read 
the  story  of  her  heart  in  the  stitches  and  they 
found  Jesus  through  her  needle.  She  used  what 
she  had-  And  the  women  of  the  church  have 
rightly  honored  her  name  in  their  societies. 

But  mark  keenly  this :  while  using  to  the  full, 
and  faithfully,  just  what  you  have,  there  must 
needs  be  utter  dependence  upon  God.  Not  what 
you  have,  nor  what  you  can  do,  but  Somebody  in 
what  you  have,  and  through  what  you  do. 
Notice,  "Their  nets  were  breaking/'  They  were 
to  use  their  nets,  but  the  power  was  somewhere 
else.     As  we  are  made  up,  there  frequently  needs 


126  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

to  be  a  breaking  before  the  glory  of  God  is  re- 
vealed.    It  need  not  be  so,  necessarily. 

Yet  as  a  matter  of  fact  most  people  have  to 
stub  their  toes  and  then  go  stumbling  down  with 
a  clash,  measuring  their  length  on  the  earth,  and 
getting  some  scars  that  stay  before  they  can  be 
mightily  used.  So  many  strong  wills  are  strong 
enough  to  be  stubborn,  but  not  strong  enough  to 
yield.  Gideon's  pitchers  had  to  be  broken  before 
the  lights  flashed  out  and  brought  panic  to  the 
enemy. 

It  was  when  the  alabaster  box  was  broken  that 
its  fine  fragrance  filled  the  house,  and  spread  out 
into  all  the  world.  Somebody  prayed,  "O  Lord, 
take  me,  and  break  me,  and  make  me."  That 
is  the  usual  order  as  a  matter  of  fact.  Yet  if  the 
strength  of  stubbornness  that  must  be  broken 
down  to  change  its  direction,  were  but  swung 

God's   way   at  once But   most   folks   that 

have  been  greatly  used  have  some  of  this  sort 
of  scars.  Utter  dependence  upon  God's  strength 
in  doing  God's  service  is  the  lesson  of  the  break- 
ing nets. 

Expectancy  in  Service. 

The  climax  of  this  message  of  Jesus  is  in  its 
end :  "Let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught/'  There 
is  to  be  expectancy  in  service.  Ideas  of  draughts 
changed  that  day.     *' Peter,  what  would  you  call 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  iiy 

a  good  draught?"  "Well,"  the  old  fisherman 
says,  as  he  sits  stitching  up  the  holes  in  his  nets, 
"after  last  night  I  think  if  we  got  a  boat  half  full 
it  wouldn't  be  a  bad  haul."  "Andrew,  what's  a 
draught?"  And  Andrew  says,  "I  think  after 
this  water  haul  we've  had,  a  haul  of  holes,  Peter 
hits  it  pretty  close." 

"Master,  how  much  is  a  draught  f'  And  His 
answer  comes  back  over  the  water,  "Twice  as 
much  as  you  are  able  to  take  care  of,  and  then 
more."  They  filled  that  boat,  sent  for  another, 
filled  that,  and  then  didn't  land  all  they  had 
caught. 

How  much  do  you  reckon  a  draught  in  your 
life,  in  your  church,  in  your  mission,  your  field, 

how  much  are  you  saying  f "Master,  what 

is  your  reckoning  of  a  draught  here  in  this  man's 
life,  out  here  in  this  field  of  service  ?"  And  from 
this  Galilean  story  there  comes  back  anew  to  our 
hearts  the  Master's  reply,  "Twice  as  much  as  you 
have  planned  for,  and  then  more." 

Expectancy  is  the  eye  of  faith.  Faith  always 
has  a  watch-tower.  When  Elijah  went  to  the 
tiptop  of  Carmel  to  pray,  he  was  careful  to  send 
his  servant  to  watch  the  sea.  Prayer  is  faith 
looking  up.     Expectancy  is  faith  looking  out. 

Jesus  Went  into  the  Deeps, 
.  And  so  to  every  one  of  us  to-day  comes  afresh 


128  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

that   ringing  command,   "Launch  out   into  the 
deep  and  let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught." 

"  •  Launch  out  into  the  deep; ' 

The  awful  depth  of  a  world's  despair; 
Hearts  that  are  breaking  and  eyes  that  weep; 

Sorrow  and  ruin  and  death  are  there. 
And  the  sea  is  wide; 

And  its  pitiless  tide 
Bears  on  its  bosom  away, 

Beauty  and  youth, 
In  relentless  ruth, 

To  its  dark  abyss  for  aye. 
But  the  Master's  voice  comes  over  the  sea, 

•  Let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught  for  Me/ 
And  He  stands  in  our  midst, 

On  our  wreck-strewn  strand. 
And  sweet  and  loving  is  His  command. 

His  loving  word  is  to  each,  to  all. 
And  wherever  that  loving  word  is  heard, 

There  hang  the  nets  of  the  royal  Word. 
Trust  to  the  nets,  and  not  to  your  skill ; 

Trust  to  the  royal  Master  s  will. 
Let  down  the  nets  this  day,  this  hour; 

For  the  word  of  a  king  is  a  word  of  power, 
And  the  King's  own  word  comes  over  the  sea, 

'  Let  down  your  nets  for  a  draught  for  Me.'  *' 

There  is  a  last  word  that  comes  up  insisting  to 
be  said.  It  is  this :  Jesus  went  down  into  the 
deeps  for  us.  Deeper  deeps  than  we  know  or 
ever  shall  He  sounded  with  the  line  of  His  own 
life  on  our  behalf.  He  got  badly  scarred  that 
night  of  darkness.     It  is  this  scarred  Jesus  who 


Deep-Sea  Fishing.  129 

earnestly  asks  us  to  come  along  after  Him  so  far 
as  we  can.  His  voice  with  a  tenderness  of  love 
wrought  into  it  on  the  cross  says  to  us,  "Launch 
out  into  the  deep,  and  let  down  your  nets  for 
a  draught." 


MONEY:     THE    GOLDEN    CHAN- 
NEL   OF    SERVICE. 


Touching  a  Limitless  Circle, 

Peculiar  Effects  of  Money. 

Jesus'  Law  for  the  Use  of  Money. 

Foreign  Exchange. 

Gold^ex changed  Lives. 

Spirit  Alchemy. 

The  Fragrance  of  the  Life  in  the  Gift. 

Sacrifice  Hallows  and  Increases  the  Gift, 

A  Living  Sacrifice, 


MONEY:     THE    GOLDEN    CHAN- 
NEL   OF   SERVICE/ 

(Luke  xvi:  1-18.) 


Touching  a  Limitless  Circle. 

There  is  an  inky  shadow  over  the  home  of  God. 
There  is  a  sharp  pain  tugging  at  the  heart  of 
God.  It's  a  family  matter;  a  family  disgrace. 
One  of  God's  family  has  gone  off  from  the  home 
circle  and  made  a  bad  mess  of  things.  Such 
an  affair  is  always  a  source  of  great  grief,  espe- 
cially where  the  family  is  an  old  one,  with  fine 
blood.  And  here  the  family  is  of  the  oldest,  and 
the  blood  the  best.  The  Father  feels  the  sharp 
edge  of  the  knife  of  disgrace  very  keenly.  The 
hearth  fire  of  God  is  lonely  for  the  one  gone 
away. 

All  of  that  Father's  great  love  and  rare  wis- 
dom have  centered  and  blended  on  a  plan  for 
winning  the  estranged  member  of  His  family 
back  home,  of  his  own  free  glad  accord.     The 

*  Attention  is  directed  to  a  strong  helpful  address  on 
•'Money,"  by  Rev.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.  D.,  in  "The 
Student  Missionary  Appeal,"  published  by  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement  for  Foreign  Missions. 

133 


'34  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

other  members  of  His  family  have  gazed  with 
awe-touched  faces  upon  the  marvels  of  that 
plan.  Its  tenderness,  its  depth,  its  wondrous 
love-wisdom  have  excited  their  deepest  admira- 
tion while  they  watch  breathlessly  to  see  the 
outcome. 

That  prodigal  is  our  own  splendid  planet. 
Some  of  us  down  here  have  gladly  welcomed  the 
Father's  plan  and  the  Father's  Son.  His  Son  is 
His  plan.  But  most  of  us  don't  seem  to  under- 
stand the  Father.  And  that  is  hard  on  Him. 
And  the  greater  number  of  us,  by  far  the  greater 
number,  haven't  even  heard  of  the  Father's  plan 
or  of  His  Son,  and  have  lost  the  memory  of  His 
loving  voice  calling.  He  is  always  calling. 
And  everyone  hears  that  calling  voice.  But 
very  many  do  not  recognize  it  as  the  Father's. 

In  great  tenderness  the  Father's  plan  for  win- 
ning all  mcludes  the  help  of  those  already  won. 
Through  His  Son  first,  and  then  through  His 
sons,  newborn,  reborn,  He  is  reaching  out  His 
warm,  eager  hand  to  all.  He  breathed  His  own 
Spirit  upon  His  Son.  He  breathes  that  same 
Spirit  upon  each  of  us  who  will,  that  so  we  may, 
each  of  us,  touch  all  the  others  with  the  touch  of 
God. 

Five  great  touches  of  God  there  are,  each 
charged  with  a  mighty  current  of  power.  The 
fragrant  life-touch,  the  musical  voice-touch,  the 
warm  service-touch,  the  potent  golden-touch,  the 


Money.  135 

secret,  subtle  prayer-touch.  The  first  three  of 
these  are  limited  to  a  narrow  circle,  the  circle  of 
the  immediate  personality.  The  last  two  are 
limitless.  They  are  like  our  own  spirits.  They 
reach  directly,  resistlessly,  clear  out  through  the 
personal  circle  as  far  as  the  spirit  reaches,  even 
around  the  whole  circle  of  the  planet. 

Just  now  for  a  little  while  we  want  to  talk  to- 
gether about  one  of  these,  the  potent  yellow 
golden-touch.  The  word  service  has  been 
thought  of  quite  commonly  as  referring  to  cer- 
tain restricted  things  that  one  may  do  for  an- 
other. It  has  a  broader  meaning  too.  Whatever 
we  do  to  help  another  is  service.  Not  merely 
the  direct  activities,  but  praying  and  giving  are 
service  of  most  potent  influence.  Money  sup- 
plies a  channel  through  which  one  may  reach 
most  intimately  to  others,  near  by  and  around 
the  world.     It  is  the  golden  channel  of  service. 

Peculiar  Effects  of  Money. 

Money  is  queer  stuff.  The  opposites  meet  in 
it  so  strikingly.  It  may  be  the  most  cruel, 
exacting  tyrant.  It  may  be  the  most  faithful, 
intelligent  servant.  If  it  come  into  a  man's  life 
unaccompanied  by  a  high,  controlling  motive 
power,  it  has  most  peculiar  effects  upon  him.  It 
often  wrinkles  up  his  face,  and  ties  hard  knots 
in  the  wrinkled  lines.     It  can  dwarf  a  warm  hand 


^3^  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

into  a  cold,  hard,  muscle-bound  fist.  It  drains 
the  warm  blood  from  the  heart,  and  dries  all  the 
sweet,  fragrant  dew  out  of  the  spirit.  The  hand 
suffers  much.  It  is  often  stricken  with  a  sort  of 
palsy  while  in  the  pocket,  and  cannot  be  with- 
drawn. Sometimes  there  is  a  violent  cramp,  or 
a  sort  of  pen  paralysis  that  prevents  the  signing 
of  the  name — to  certain  sorts  of  checks. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  come  into  a  man's 
possession  accompanied  by  a  pure  unselfish  mo- 
tive that  controls,  it  comes  the  nearest  to  omnip- 
otence of  anything  we  handle.  Gold  of  itself 
seems  to  have  the  puckering  quality  of  a  green 
persimmon.  The  green  fruit  will  contract  the 
mouth  to  its  smallest  proportions.  And  unmel- 
lowed  gold  acts  in  the  same  way  upon  the  mouth 
of  the  pocket. 

This  is  true  of  all  gold  and  of  all  pockets. 
There  are  no  exceptions.  The  only  possible  way 
of  effecting  a  change  is  to  let  a  stronger  power 
come  in  and  counteract  the  contracting  power. 
Gold  has  the  greatest  contracting  power  of  any 
earthly  substance.  Its  only  sufficient  counter- 
actant  is  God.  God  has  the  greatest  expanding 
power  known  to  angels  or  men.  Gold  contracts. 
God  expands.  If  God  be  the  dominating  motive 
power  in  a  man's  life,  then  does  gold  come  the 
nearest  to  omnipotence  of  any  tangible  thing. 
It  takes  on  the  quality  of  Him  who  breathes 
upon  it. 


Money.  137 

fesus'  Law  for  the  Use  of  Money. 

Jesus  gives  us  the  simple  law  for  the  right 
use  of  money.  It  is  in  that  sixteenth  chapter  of 
Luke.  He  is  talking  about  the  dishonest  over- 
seer of  a  wealthy  man's  estate.  His  dishonest 
practices  have  been  discovered,  and  he  is  re- 
quired to  make  a  final  settlement  preliminary  to 
his  being  discharged.  He  has  evidently  been  liv- 
ing extravagantly,  for  the  loss  of  position 
threatens  him  with  beggary.  Distressed  to  know 
what  to  do  he  hits  upon  a  farther  extension  of 
his  dishonest  practices,  and  uses  the  position  he 
is  about  to  lose  to  buy  up  friends  for  his  coming 
days  of  want. 

As  he  tells  the  story  Jesus  adds  this  comment : 
*'for  the  sons  of  this  world  are  for  their  own  gen- 
eration wiser  than  the  sons  of  light."  Practically 
they  go  on  the  supposition  that  the  present  gen- 
eration is  the  only  one.  For  the  short  space  of 
years  making  up  their  own  generation  they  are 
wiser  than  the  sons  of  light.  But  for  the  long 
space  of  all  coming  generations  they  are  the 
rankest  fools.  That  is  included  by  contrast  in 
Jesus'  words.  The  man  who  in  his  use  of  money 
thinks  only  or  chiefly  of  the  years  making  up  his 
own  present  life  is — a  fool.  The  man  who  takes 
into  his  reckoning  not  only  the  present  genera- 
tion, but  all  coming  generations,  in  disposing  ol 
his  money  is  the  shrewd  financier. 


'3^  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Then  occurs  the  sentence^  that  contains  a 
wonderfully  simple  statement  for  the  keen,  wise 
use  of  gold.  The  old  version  runs  Hke  this : 
"Make  to  yourselves  friends  of  the  mammon  of 
unrighteousness  that  when  ye  fail  they  may  re- 
ceive you  into  everlasting  habitations."  The  re- 
vised version,  both  English  and  American,  reads 
this  way :  "Make  to  yourselves  friends  by  means 
of  the  mammon  of  unrighteousness  that  when 
it  shall  fail  they  may  receive  you  into  the  eternal 
tabernacles." 

I  have  ventured  to  make  a  rather  free  trans- 
lation that  I  feel  sure  is  true  to  the  words  here  in 
their  connection  and  that  gives  in  simple  Eng- 
lish just  what  Jesus  means.  "Make  to  your- 
selves friends  by  means  of  money,  which  the  un- 
righteous world  reckons  riches,  that  when  it  fails 
they  may  receive  you,"  and  so  on.  Money  is 
not  riches.  The  world  commonly  has  been  be- 
fooled into  thinking  that  it  is.  Perhaps  we  have 
not  all  quite  escaped  that  delusion.  And  money 
is  not  unrighteous.  It  is  neither  righteous,  nor 
unrighteous.  It  gets  its  moral  quality  from  the 
man  owning  it  for  the  time  being.  It  is  as  he  is. 
It  takes  on  the  color  of  its  ownership. 

Make  to  yourselves  friends  by  means  of  the 
money  that  comes  into  your  control  that  when  it 
fails  they  may  receive  you.  That  is  to  say,  ex- 
change your  money  into  the  kind  of  coin  that  is 
*  Luke  xvi;  9. 


Money.  139 

current  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Exchange  your 
gold  into  lives.  That  is  the  sort  of  coin  cur- 
rent in  the  homeland.  This  yellow  stuff  we  call 
riches  they  use  for  paving  stones  up  in  the  home- 
land. Would  that  we  might  get  it  under  our 
feet  down  here,  instead  of  being  ruled  by  it. 

The  current  coin  of  heaven  is  lives  of  men. 
And  that  too  will  be  reckoned  the  precious  metal 
when  the  Kingdom  of  God  comes  to  the  earth. 
Exchange  your  money  into  men;  purified,  up- 
lifted, redeemed  men.  Buy  letters  of  credit  that 
will  be  good  in  the  homeland,  and  in  the  coming 
Kingdom  days  on  the  earth,  if  you  would  be 
wealthy. 

'That  when  it  fails,"  Jesus  says  with  fine  dis- 
cernment. Money  will  fail.  There  is  an  end  to 
the  power  of  gold  in  itself.  Money  will  be  bank- 
rupt some  day.  It  has  enormous  buying  power 
now.  Some  day  its  buying  power  will  be  all 
gone.  Then  it  will  take  the  place  of  cobble- 
stones. Yet  it  would  seem  to  be  a  failure  there 
unless  some  new  hardening  process  had  been 
found  for  it.  Better  use  it  while  it  has  power  of 
purchase.  Better  not  be  caught  with  much  of  the 
yellow  stuff  sticking  to  you  when  the  true  values 
are  being  settled.  It'll  all  be  dead  loss  then ;  dead 
stock,  not  worth  the  space  it  occupies. 

You  remember  the  very  old  story  of  the 
wealthy  man  who  died.  And  in  a  group  of  peo- 
ple talking  together  somebody  asked  the  usual 


140  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

question,  "How  much  did  he  leave  f  And  a 
wise  man  in  the  company  replied  tersely,  "Every 
cent ;  didn't  take  a  copper  along."  That  story  is 
apt  to  provoke  a  smile.  But,  do  you  know,  it  is 
sadder  than  it  is  witty.  The  man  had  gained 
great  wealth.  He  must  have  been  endowed  with 
some  force  and  talent  to  do  that.  His  whole 
life  and  strength  and  talent  had  been  devoted  to 
making  money  and  hoarding  it.  That  money 
was  the  whole  output  ef  the  man's  life.  Then  he 
died  and  the  whole  output  of  his  life  was  left 
behind.  He  passed  out  of  this  life  stripped  to  the 
skin.  Into  the  other  world,  where  wealth  is 
reckoned  otherwise  than  in  gold,  he  entered  a 
sheer  pauper.  The  purchasing  power  of  his 
wealth  stopped  at  the  line  of  departure  out  of  this 
world.    It  failed. 


Foreign  Exchange. 

Exchange  your  gold  into  men.  Buy  up  some  of 
the  kind  of  coin  they  use  in  the  homeland,  so  that 
you  may  have  some  wealth  when  you  get  there. 
Suppose  you  should  be  over  on  the  continent  of 
Europe,  shopping  in  Berlin.  You  buy  some 
goods  in  a  store  and  lay  down  upon  the  counter 
a  twenty-dollar  gold  piece  in  payment.  The 
salesman  would  say,  "What  sort  of  money  is 
this?''  and  you  would  likely  say,  "That  is  good 
American  gold,  sir."    And  he  would  probably  re- 


Money.  141 

ply,  "I  have  no  doubt  that  is  true,  and  that  it  is 
good  money.  But  it  is  not  the  sort  we  receive 
here.  You  will  have  to  go  to  the  bankers  and  get 
it  changed  into  German  marks  and  then  I'll  be 
pleased  to  complete  this  sale."  And  so  you 
would  be  obliged  to  do  if  you  had  not  thought 
to  provide  yourself  with  German  money. 

There  are  some  people  that  will  have  an  experi- 
ence like  that  after  a  while,  I'm  thinking.  Some 
one  thinks  that  that  is  not  a  very  likely  illustra- 
tion. A  man  going  to  Europe  would  provide 
himself  with  proper  money  to  use.  Maybe  it  is 
not  a  very  good  illustration  for  Europe.  But 
how  about  some  other  strange  lands  to  which 
folks  go?  There  seem  to  be  several  people  who 
expect  to  go  to  a  strange  country,  and  yet  do  not 
provide  any  of  its  recognized  coinage  before 
going. 

Here  is  a  man  who  gets  through  his  life  down 
on  the  earth,  and  goes  out  into  the  other  life. 
Judging  by  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life  he  will  at- 
tempt to  take  some  of  his  belongings  with  him. 
Indeed  so  much  are  these  belongings  a  part  of 
his  very  life  that  they  seem  inseparable  from  him. 
Here  he  comes  up  to  the  gateway  of  the  upper 
world.  He  is  lugging  along  a  farm  or  two,  some 
town  lots,  and  houses,  and  a  lot  of  beautifully 
engraved  paper,  bank  stock  and  railroad  bonds 
and  other  bonds.  They  are  absorbing  him  com- 
pletely as  he  puffs  slowly  along. 


142  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

And  as  he  gets  up  to  the  gateway,  the  gateman 
will  say,  "What's  all  that  stuff?"  "Stuff r  he 
will  say,  astonished;  "this  is  the  most  precious 
wealth  of  earth,  sir.  I  have  spent  my  whole  life, 
the  cream  of  my  strength  in  accumulating  this." 
"Oh,  well,"  the  reply  will  be,  "I  have  no  doubt 
that  is  so.  I  am  not  disputing  your  word  at  all. 
But  that  sort  of  thing  does  not  pass  current  up  in 
this  land.  That  has  to  be  exchanged  at  the  bank- 
ers' offices  for  the  sort  of  coinage  we  use  here." 

The  man  looks  a  little  relieved  at  this  last  re- 
mark. The  other  talk  has  sounded  strange,  and 
given  him  a  queer  misgiving  in  his  heart,  as  he 
listened.  But  "banker"  and  "exchange" — that 
sounds  familiar.  The  ground  feels  a  bit  steadier. 
He  picks  up  new  spirit.  "Where  are  the  bankers' 
offices,  please?"  he  asks  eagerly.  "They  are  all 
down  on  the  earth,"  comes  the  quiet  answer. 
"You  must  do  your  exchanging  before  you  get  as 
far  up  as  this.  That  stuff  is  all  dead  loss  now. 
You  can't  take  it  back  to  the  bankers'  now,  and 
it  is  of  no  value  here.  Just  leave  it  over  on  that 
dump  heap  there  outside  the  gate,  and  come  in 
yourself."  And  the  man  comes  in  with  a 
strangely  stripped  and  bare  feeling. 

What  we  get  and  keep  for  the  sake  of  having, 
we  lose,  for  we  leave  it  behind.  What  we  give 
away  freely  for  Jesus*  sake,  for  men's  sake,  we 
will  find  by  and  by  we  have  kept,  for  we  have 
sent  it  ahead  in  a  changed  form. 


Money.  143 

There  will  be  a  strange  readjustment  of  values 
on  the  other  side.  Some  men  of  splendid 
strength  have  spent  it  in  accumulating  earth's 
wealth.  They  give,  even  freely  it  seems  to  be,  in 
very  large  amounts.  Yet  be  it  keenly  marked 
the  sum  given  by  these  men  always  bears  a  small 
proportion  to  what  is  kept. 

Others  there  are  of  equally  splendid  strength, 
and  fine  powers,  who  have  been  spending  that 
strength  in  influencing  men.  Their  passion 
seems  to  have  been  for  men,  for  men's  selves,  for 
men's  lives.  The  great  bulk  of  their  strength 
and  time  has  been  deliberately  given  to  this. 
And  some  that  have  not  understood  have  thought 
such  conduct  strange,  a  sort  of  fad  with  these 
men.  But  when  values  are  readjusted  by  the 
standards  of  the  final  clearing  house,  some  who 
have  been  very  wealthy  down  here  will  be 
reckoned  among  the  very  poor.  And  some  who 
have  been  reckoned  poor  will  be  found  to  be  the 
shrewdest  of  investors.  They  will  be  the  million- 
aires of  the  Kingdom  time  and  in  the  homeland 
I  do  not  mean  {/<9//ar-millionaires,  but  /{/^-mil- 
lionaires. The  standard  of  wealth  in  the  home- 
land is  lives,  not  dollars. 

And  some  too  there  will  be,  and  not  few  in 
numbers,  who  have  given  of  their  strength  in 
business  pursuits  to  the  making  of  money,  as  the 
Spirit  has  guided  them,  or  to  whom  it  has  been 
left  in  trust  by  others,  and  who  have  been  steadily 


144  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

investing  the  wealth  that  has  come  in  the  lives 
of  men.  Some  folks  ought  to  be  getting  better 
acquainted  at  the  foreign  exchange  desk  in  the 
banks  where  this  sort  of  business  is  done. 

There  are  a  good  many  banks  that  make  a 
specialty  of  this  sort  of  foreign  exchange.  The 
great  Church  Boards,  the  International  Commit- 
tee of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations, 
the  American  Committee  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Associations,  the  individual  churches 
and  associations,  and  the  Bible  Societies  are  a 
few  of  the  better  known  of  the  banks  having  a 
large  exchange  business  of  this  sort. 

Their  methods  of  business  have  been  very 
thoroughly  systematized  for  the  convenience  of 
investors.  In  almost  every  pew  of  a  church  may 
be  found  little  deposit  envelopes,  mediums  of 
exchange.  There  are  weekly  opportunities  for 
making  deposits.  And  the  handling  of  the 
money  has  been  so  thoroughly  systematized,  too, 
that,  as  a  rule,  a  very  small  proportion  is  taken 
up  in  keeping  the  banks  running,  the  great  bulk 
passing  directly  out  to  the  designated  place  of 
use. 


Gold-exchanged  Lives. 


Jesus  says  that  our  money  in  its  new  form  will 
be  waiting  our  arrival  on  the  other  side.  The 
men  and  women  into  whose  lives  we  have  been 


Money.  145 

exchanging  it  will  be  eagerly  looking  for  us  as 
the  ship  pulls  into  port.  When  you  get  through 
with  your  life  down  here — it  will  be  a  long  life, 
I  hope — you  will  go  up  and  into  the  homeland. 
And — I  suppose — at  the  first  you  will  have  eyes 
and  heart  for  nobody  but  Jesus,  My  mother 
used  to  say  to  me,  "I  have  thought  that  I  would 
like  to  have  a  talk  with  Moses,  and  with  Elijah, 
and  with  John  and  Paul,  but" — with  the  quick 
tears  of  deepest  emotion  filling  her  dark  eyes — 
*1  have  never  been  able  in  my  thinking  of  it,  to 
get  past  Jesus  yet."  Even  so  it  will  be,  no  doubt, 
with  all  of  us. 

But  this  word  of  Jesus'  own  suggests  that  as 
you  go  in  you  will  find  some  one  coming  eagerly 
up  with  outstretched  hands  and  such  a  glad  face 
to  meet  you.  And  he  will  say,  "Oh !  I  have  been 
looking  forward  so  eagerly  to  meeting  you ;  wel- 
come." And  you  will  say,  "Well,  this  is  very 
kind  of  you.  But,  pardon  me,  I  can't  just  recall 
your  face.  Where  was  it  I  knew  you?  in  New 
York?" 

And  he  will  say,  with  a  flush  of  earnest  feel- 
ing, "Oh,  no!  I  never  saw  New  York.  And  I 
never  saw  you  before.  My  home  was  over  in 
the  heart  of  China.  Our  lives  were  very  miser- 
able there.  There  was  a  great  tugging  at  my 
heart  that  nothing  seemed  ever  to  ease.  But  one 
day  a  stranger  came  into  our  village,  with  some 
little  books,  and  as  we  gathered  about  him  he 


146  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

talked  to  us  about  Jesus,  and  you  can  never  know 
how  that  story  of  Jesus  came  to  me,  and  how 
much  it  meant.  My  whole  life  was  changed,  and 
my  home  and  our  village  were  changed.  And 
since  coming  up  here  I  have  learned  that  it  was 
through  you  that  that  man  came,  and  I  want  to 
thank  you.  Next  to  Jesus  I  think  you're  the 
best  friend  I  have.'* 

And  you  will  be  thinking,  "I'm  so  glad  I  gave 
that  money.  I  had  to  pinch  quite  a  bit,  but  that's 
nothing  compared  to  the  joy  of  this."  And  as 
that  is  flashing  swiftly  through  your  thought, 
here  is  somebody  else  eagerly  pressing  up,  with 
the  same  word  of  welcome,  and  a  face  with  such 
a  glad  light  the  sight  of  which  is  alone  quite 
enough  to  even  up  any  sacrifice.  And  you  will 
say  maybe,  "And  where  did  I  meet  you  ?  are  you 
from  China,  too?" 

No,  this  one  is  from  a  western  frontier  settle- 
ment where  the  home  missionary  had  gone,  and 
now  this  one  elbowing  by  her  with  the  same  light- 
ened face  is  from  the  mountain  section  of  the 
South.  And  so  they  come  eagerly  up  from  many 
places  where  you  have  never  been  in  person  but 
where  you  have  gone  potentially  through  your 
money.  That  is  what  Jesus  means.  Make  to 
yourselves  friends  by  means  of  money  which  the 
unrighteous  world  reckons  riches,  that  when  it 
fails  they  may  welcome  you  eagerly  into  the 
homeland.     Exchange  your  gold  into  lives. 


Money.  147 

Spirit  Alchemy. 

There  is  a  divine  alchemy  whereby  money  may 
be  transmuted  into  redeemed,  purified,  uplifted 
lives.  There  is  another  alchemy  whereby  men, 
made  of  finest  gold  in  the  image  of  God,  may  be 
transmuted  into  the  basest  metals.  When  Moses 
coming  down  from  the  presence  of  God  saw  the 
shocking  sight  of  the  people  worshiping  a  calf 
made  of  gold,  he  reproached  Aaron  for  permit- 
ting it.  Do  you  remember  Aaron's  answer  ?  He 
had  the  gift  of  speech,  you  remember,  an  easy, 
smooth  way  of  explaining  things.  Yet  in  the 
light  of  the  recited  facts  the  answer  seems  rather 
lame.  It  needs  a  crutch  to  steady  it  up.  He 
said,  that  he  had  put  in  the  gold  and — "there 
came  out  this  calf." 

A  great  many  men  might  fairly  make  use  of 
Aaron's  explanation.  They  have  put  into  the 
crucible  of  life  their  gold,  themselves,  God's  finest 
gold  intrusted  to  their  hands.  And  under  their 
manipulation  what  has  come  out  is  as  a  vealy, 
callow  calf,  a  bull  calf  at  that  too,  scrub  stock, 
fit  only  for  the  ax. 

There  is  the  other,  the  divine  alchemy  whereby 
a  man  may  put  in  the  gold  intrusted  to  his 
handling  and  there  shall  come  out  lives,  sweet, 
strong,  fragrant  lives,  made  anew  in  the  image 
of  their  Maker. 


148  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

The  Fragrance  of  the  Life  in  the  Gift, 

It  is  a  part  of  the  peculiar  potent  value  of 
money  that  there  can  be  a  practical  transfer  of 
personality  through  its  use.  For  instance  I  have 
a  friend  whose  heart  burned  to  go  to  a  foreign 
mission  field  for  service  there.  But  the  physi- 
cian said  it  would  not  be  wise  for  her  to  go. 
Yielding  to  his  expert  judgment,  she  still  yearned 
to  be  of  service  there.  In  the  providence  of  God 
she  became  intrusted  with  large  wealth.  And 
so  she  arranged  to  have  a  man  go  in  her  stead  to 
China,  she  caring  for  all  the  expense  involved, 
while  he  was  so  left  wholly  free  for  the  service. 

Tell  me,  was  that  not  a  practical  transfer  of  her 
personality  to  the  point  of  service  where  he  is 
engaged?  Then  she  arranged  for  another,  and 
another,  and  yet  others.  It  is  not  only  a  transfer 
of  personality  in  practical  results,  but  a  duplica- 
tion of  personality,  and  a  triplication,  and  more. 
For  she  is  busy  in  her  home  circle,  while  her  rep- 
resentatives are  busy  elsewhere  through  the  in- 
fluence of  her  action. 

A  young  woman,  graduate  of  a  western  college, 
developed  much  talent  in  speaking  to  other  young 
vi^omen  of  the  Christian  life.  Her  public  service 
was  much  blessed  in  the  lives  of  large  numbers  of 
women.  She  had  no  wealth,  but  was  dependent 
upon  her  efforts  for  a  livelihood.  Another  young 
woman,  in  the  East,  came  under  the  warm  spell 


Money.  149 

of  her  personality  and  speech.  And  her  life 
was  blessedly  revolutionized  by  that  spell.  Her 
own  heart  burned  to  be  doing  something  of  the 
sort  for  her  sisters  out  over  the  land. 

But  she  seemed  not  to  have  gifts  of  that  kind. 
Yet  she  had  been  intrusted  with  large  means. 
And  so  she  said  to  her  new  friend  whom  God 
had  so  graciously  blessed  to  her  own  life,  *Xet  us 
be  partners  together.  I  will  so  gladly  give  what 
I  have,  that  you  may  be  wholly  free  to  give  to 
others  what  you  have  brought  to  me."  And  so  it 
was  arranged.  And  the  one  woman  gives  of  the 
gold  of  her  inheritance  while  the  other  gives  her 
life  and  her  special  gift.  The  one  in  her  home 
pays  and  prays.  The  other  goes  constantly  here 
and  there,  and  lives  are  ever  transformed  through 
the  Spirit  of  God  resting  upon  her. 

Is  not  that  a  practical  transfer  of  personality? 
and  duplication  of  personality,  too?  Is  not  this 
young  woman  whose  own  actual  personality  re- 
mains, in  the  gracious  providence  of  God,  in  her 
home,  is  she  not  going  potentially  about  from 
place  to  place  winning  her  sisters  up  to  the  high- 
lands of  the  best  living?     It  surely  is  so. 

And  these  two  are  but  illustrations  of  the  many 
who  have  come  to  understand  Jesus'  law  for  the 
right  use  of  money.  And  there  are  to  be  many 
more  as  the  days  go  by,  doing  just  that  sort  of 
thing.  And  let  those  of  us  who  have  not  been 
intrusted  either  with  the  large  amount  of  money, 


150  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

or  with  the  large  power  to  earn,  remember  that 
the  amount  involved  does  not  affect  the  law  of 
results.  All  who  have  felt  the  blessed  contagion 
of  the  Master's  example  will  give  freely  of  what 
is  in  store,  whether  much  or  little. 

Those  whose  giving  is  in  smaller  amounts  by 
our  bulky  way  of  reckoning  values,  may  still  be 
making  that  same  blessed  transfer  and  doubling 
their  own  capacity  for  service  through  the  agency 
of  their  gold.  For  the  gold  given  represents  the 
life  that  gives.  And  the  gift  takes  on  the  quality 
and  power  and  fragrance  of  the  life  that  gives 
it.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  there  seems  to 
be  a  peculiar  potency  in  the  smaller  gifts,  that 
represent  as  they  so  often  do  the  greatest,  most 
devoted  sacrifice.  Could  we  trace  the  intricate 
crossings  of  the  lines  of  influence  in  the  web  of 
life,  we  would  be  awed  many  times  at  the  potency 
of  the  giving  that  is  small  in  amount  but  tinted 
red  with  the  life-blood  of  sacrifice. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  through  this 
strange  stuff  called  money  there  is  a  double  trans- 
fer of  personality  going  on  all  the  time.  Men 
are  constantly  transferring  themselves  into  gold, 
in  a  perfectly  proper  way.  A  man  gives  his  labor, 
and  at  the  end  of  a  specified  period  he  gets  a 
certain  amount  of  money.  That  money  repre- 
sents himself.  It  is  himself  for  that  length  of 
time.  That  is  the  first  transfer  of  manhood  in 
money.    It  is  going  on  all  the  time.    It  is  neces- 


Money.  151 

sarily  so,  for  so  we  get  our  food,  and  clothing, 
and  home. 

Then  there  is  the  re-transfer  of  this  money  into 
some  other  form.  As  we  choose  to  use  this 
money,  so  we  are  re-transferring  ourselves  into 
what  forms  we  will.  The  money  is  the  transition 
state  of  ourselves.  We  pass  through  it  out  into 
the  exchange  of  life.  We  reveal  ourselves  in  the 
way  we  pass  it  out.  In  no  way  does  a  man  re- 
veal the  true  inner  self  more.  And  if  perchance 
we  let  it,  or  some  of  it,  lie  and  gather  rust,  there 
we  are,  some  part  of  us  being  covered  with  rust. 

Sacrifice  Hallows  and  Increases  the  Gift. 

But  there  is  more  yet  to  be  said  here.  The 
great  blending  of  the  spirit  forces  with  gold 
comes  out  wondrously  in  this :  that  sacrifice  hal- 
lows what  it  touches.  And  under  its  hallowing 
touch  values  increase  by  long  leaps  and  big 
bounds.  Here  is  a  fine  opportunity  for  those  who 
would  increase  the  value  of  gifts  that  seem  small 
in  amount.  Without  stopping  now  for  the  phi- 
losophy of  it,  this  is  the  tremendous  fact. 

Perhaps  the  annual  foreign  missionary  offer- 
ing is  being  taken  up  in  your  church.  The  pastor 
has  preached  a  special  sermon,  and  it  has  caught 
fire  within  you.  You  find  yourself  thinking  as 
he  preaches,  and  during  the  prayer  following,  "I 
believe  I  can  easily  make  it  fifty  dollars  this  year. 


152  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

I  gave  thirty-five  last  time."  You  want  to  be 
careful  not  to  make  it  fifty  dollars,  because  you 
can  do  that  easily.  If  you  are  shrewd  to  have 
your  money  count  the  most,  you  will  pinch  a  bit 
somewhere  and  make  it  sixty-two  fifty.  For  the 
extra  amount  that  you  pinch  to  give  will  hallow 
the  original  sum  and  increase  its  practical  value 
enormously.  Sacrifice  hallows  what  it  touches, 
and  the  hallowing  touch  acts  in  geometrical  pro- 
portion upon  the  value  of  the  gift. 

Better  turn  your  gown,  and  readjust  your  hat, 
for  the  sacrifice  involved  will  give  a  new  beauty 
to  the  spirit  looking  out  through  your  face.  And 
real  folks  will  not  be  able  to  get  past  the  beauty 
of  face  to  the  incidentals  of  your  apparel.  Wear 
your  derby  another  season,  and  get  your  shoes 
half-soled,  and  some  deft  mending  done.  Let 
that  extra  horse  go  to  other  buyers,  and  the  auto- 
mobile be  picked  up  by  somebody  who  has  not 
yet  mined  any  of  the  fine  gold  of  sacrifice.  The 
coming  rainy  day  will  never  be  able  to  use  up  all 
that  some  folks  are  salting  down  for  it. 

And  yet  some  folks,  many  folks,  should  be 
spending  more  on  their  bodies  and  giving  less. 
The  giving  should  never  intrench  upon  the 
strength  of  one's  personality.  That  is  a  treasure 
to  be  sacredly  guarded.  All  the  power  of  one's 
life,  in  serving,  in  giving,  in  praying,  in  speak- 
ing, and  in  personal  contact,  the  power  of  all 
roots  down  in  the  personality.     The  safe  rule, 


Money.  153 

and  the  only  safe  rule,  is  to  decide  such  ques- 
tions with  the  knee-joint  bent,  and  the  door  shut, 
and  the  spirit  willing.  A  strong  will  played  upon 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  mellowed  by  emotions  that 
have  been  moved  by  the  need,  and  held  steady  by 
a  disciplined  judgment  must  attend  to  loosening 
the  purse-strings. 

But  the  one  fact  being  emphasized  here  just 
now  is  that  the  element  of  sacrifice  must  be  in 
the  giving  if  it  is  to  be  effective.  Sacrifice  was 
the  dominant  factor  in  God's  giving  of  His  Son, 
real  sacrifice.  It  was  dominant  in  Jesus'  giving 
of  His  own  self  and  His  life,  keen  cutting  sacri- 
fice. Who  will  follow  in  their  train?  Whoever 
will,  will  be  getting  a  post-graduate  course  in 
financiering  ^nd  in  multiplying  of  values.  He 
will  be  astonished  at  the  results  working  out,  and 
most  astonished  at  the  final  disclosures. 

Keeping  out  of  circulation  more  than  one's 
wants,  properly  adjusted,  call  for  is  poor  finan- 
ciering. For  that  which  is  held  back  is  not  earn- 
ing anything.  All  beyond  one's  needs  should  be 
out  in  circulation  for  the  Master  in  His  campaign 
for  a  world.  Yet  nowhere  is  there  finer  chance 
or  greater  need  for  the  play  of  keen  judgment 
than  in  deciding  that  question  of  need.  Mis- 
takes are  made  on  both  sides.  It  looks  very  much 
as  though  the  most  serious  mistakes  are  being 
made  on  the  side  of  too  little  sacrifice  or  none. 
Yet  clearly  some  serious  mistakes  are  made  on 


'54  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

the  other  side  too.  But  no  one  may  criticise 
another.  Each  must  decide  for  himself.  In  the 
judgment  of  charity  we  are  to  presume  that  each 
is  doing  what  he  thinks  right  and  best.  We  are, 
none  of  us,  the  keeper  of  our  brother's  purse. 


A  Living  Sacrifice. 

There  is  a  simple  story  told  that  contains  its 
truth  in  its  very  naturalness  and  simplicity.  It 
reveals  a  bit  of  the  real  life  ever  going  on  all 
around  us  unnoticed.  A  minister  in  a  certain 
small  town  in  an  eastern  state  received  from  the 
home  mission  board  of  his  church  a  letter  ask- 
ing for  a  special  offering  for  a  needy  field  in  the 
West.  With  the  letter  was  literature  setting 
forth  the  need.  The  call  appealed  to  him  and 
with  good  heart  he  prepared  a  special  sermon, 
calling  the  attention  of  his  people  to  the  great 
need. 

Sabbath  morning  came  and  he  preached  the 
sermon.  But  somehow  it  did  not  just  seem  to 
hook  in.  That  banker  down  there  on  the  left 
looked  listless,  and  yawned  a  couple  of  times 
behind  his  hand.  And  the  merchant  over  on  the 
right,  who  could  give  freely,  examined  his  watch 
secretly  more  than  once.  And  so  it  was  with 
a  little  tinge  of  discouragement  insistently  creep- 
ing into  his  spirit  that  he  finished,  and  sat  down. 
And  he  remained  with  head  bowed  in  prayer  that 


Money.  155 

the  results  might  prove  better  than  seemed  likely, 
while  the  church  officers  passed  down  the  aisles 
with  the  collection  plates. 

Meanwhile  something  unseen  by  human  eye 
was  going  on  in  the  very  last  pew.  Back  there, 
sitting  alone,  was  a  little  girl  of  a  poor  family. 
She  had  met  with  a  misfortune  which  left  her 
crippled.  And  her  whole  life  seemed  so  dark 
and  hopeless.  But  some  kind  friends  in  the 
church,  pitying  her  condition,  had  made  up  a 
small  fund  and  bought  her  a  pair  of  crutches. 
And  these  had  seemed  to  transform  her  com- 
pletely. She  went  about  her  rounds  always  as 
cheery  and  bright  as  a  bit  of  sunshine. 

She  had  listened  to  the  sermon,  and  her  heart 
had  been  strangely  warmed  by  the  preacher's 
story  of  need.  And  as  he  was  finishing  she  was 
thinking.  "How  I  wish  I  might  give  something. 
But  I  haven't  anything  to  give,  not  even  a  copper 
left."  And  a  very  soft  voice  within  seemed  to 
say  very  softly,  but  very  distinctly,  ''There  are 
your  crutches."  "Oh,"  she  gasped  to  herself 
as  though  it  took  away  her  very  breath,  "my 
crutches?  I  couldn't  give  my  crutches;  they're 
my  life/'  .\nd  that  strangely  clear  voice  went 
on,  so  quietly,  "Yes — you  could — and  then  some 
one  would  know  of  Jesus — if  you  did — and  that 
would  mean  so  much  to  them — He's  meant  so 
much  to  you — give  your  crutches."  And  her 
breath  seemed  to  fail  her  at  the  thought.    And 


15^  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

so  the  little  woman  had  her  fight  all  unseen  and 
unknown  by  those  in  the  church.  And  by  and 
by  the  victory  came.  And  she  sat  with  a  beauti- 
ful light  in  her  tearful  eyes,  and  a  smile  coming 
to  her  lips,  waiting  for  the  plate  to  get  to  her 
pew. 

And  the  man  with  the  plate  came  down  the 
aisle  to  the  end.  It  seemed  hardly  worth  while 
reaching  it  into  the  last  pew.  Just  little  Maggie 
sitting  there  alone,  with  her  one  foot  dangling 
above  the  floor.  But  with  fine  courtesy  he  stopped 
and  passed  the  plate  in.  And  Maggie  in  her 
childlike  simplicity  lifted  her  crutches,  and  tried 
rather  awkwardly  to  put  them  on  the  collection 
plate.  Quick  as  a  flash  the  man  caught  her 
thought,  and  with  a  queer  lump  in  his  throat 
reached  out  and  steadied  her  strange  gift  on  the 
plate. 

And  then  he  turned  back  and  walked  slowly  up 
the  aisle  toward  the  pulpit,  carrying  the  plate  in 
one  hand  and  steadying  the  crutches  on  it  with 
the  other.  And  people  commenced  to  look. 
And  eyes  quickly  dimmed.  Everybody  knew  the 
crutches.  Maggie — giving  her  crutches!  And 
the  banker  over  here  blew  his  nose  suddenly  and 
reached  for  his  pencil,  and  the  merchant  reached 
out  to  stop  the  man  returning  up  his  aisle. 

As  the  pastor  stood  with  his  eyesight  not  very 
clear  to  receive  the  morning's  offering,  he  said, 
''Surely  our  little  crippled  friend  is  giving  us  a 


Money.  157 

wonderful  example."  Then  the  plates  were  called 
back  toward  the  pews.  And  somebody  paid  fifty 
dollars  for  the  crutches,  and  sent  them  back  to 
that  end  pew.  When  the  offering  was  counted 
up  it  contained  several  hundred  dollars.  And 
the  little  girl,  crippled  in  body  but  not  in  any 
other  way,  hobbled  out  of  church  the  happiest 
little  woman  in  the  world. 

She  had  recognized  and  obeyed  the  inner  voice. 
That  was  the  simple  explanation  of  her  giving. 
And  her  gift,  small  in  itself,  touched  with  sacri- 
fice, became  worth  several  hundred  dollars  in 
its  earning  power.  And  the  original  investment 
was  returned  for  its  usual  service.  And  her  gift 
has  been  increasing  in  its  earning  power  as  its 
recital  has  reached  other  hearts,  and  the  end  is  not 
yet.  I  do  not  know  just  where  Maggie  is  now. 
But  I  do  know  that  she  will  be  a  greatly  sur- 
prised woman  some  day  when  she  finds  out  what 
God  has  done  with  her  sacrifice-hallowed  gift. 
She  recognized  and  obeyed  the  inner  Voice. 
That  is  the  one  law  of  giving,  as  of  all  living. 


WORRY:   A  HINDRANCE  TO 
SERVICE. 


Fear  Not. 

A  Fence  of  Trust. 

A  Lord  of  the  Harvest. 

Do  Your  Best — Leave  the  Rest, 

Anxious  for  Nothing. 

Thankful  for  Anything. 

Prayerful  about  Everything. 

A  Steamer  Chair  for  His  Friend, 

He  Has  You  on  His  Heart. 

Paul's  Prison  Psalm. 

He  Touched  Her  Hand, 


WORRY  :  A   HINDRANCE  TO 
SERVICE. 

(Psalm  xxxYii;  i-ii;  Matthew  vi:  19-34,  Philippians  iv: 
6-7.    American  Revision.) 


Fear  Not. 

There  is  nothing  commoner  than  worry. 
Everybody  seems  to  worry.  Men  worry. 
Women  worry.  It  is  commonly  supposed  that 
women  worry  more  than  men.  I  doubt  it. 
After  watching  both  pretty  closely  under  all  sorts 
of  circumstances  I  doubt  it.  Yet  if  it  be  true 
that  woman  does  worry  the  more,  I  think  it  is 
because,  being  more  sensitively  organized,  she  is 
more  keenly  alive  to  the  issues  involved  and  to 
the  responsibilities  of  life.  Poor  people  worry. 
Those  with  enough  money  to  be  easy  worry. 
And  those  with  the  largest  wealth  seem  to  worry 
too.  Busy  folks  worry.  And  so  do  the  idle. 
The  cultured  and  scholarly  touch  elbows  with  the 
ignorant  here. 

Americans  are  supposed  to  be  specialists  in 

worrying.     The    name    Americanitis    has    been 

given  to  a  certain   run-down  condition  of  the 

nerves.    Well,   we   may  possibly  have   set  the 

x6i 


1 62  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

pace,  and  may  be  making  new  records.  But 
certainly  there  are  plenty  of  pushing  followers. 
Our  Canadian  neighbors  seem  not  to  be  wholly 
strangers  to  worry.  Nor  our  British  and  Dutch 
forbears.  The  European  continentals,  and  those 
of  the  East  nearer  and  farther  off  seem  to  be  good 
or  bad  at  worrying.  It  is  a  characteristic  ©f  the 
race  everywhere,  the  diiference  being  merely  in 
the  degree.     It  seems  inbred  in  man. 

There  are  two  "don't-worry"  chapters  in  this 
old  Bible,  one  in  the  Old  Testament  and  one 
in  the  New.  In  the  Old  Testament  is  the 
Thirty-seventh  Psalm  with  its  oft-repeated  "fret 
not."  The  word  under  that  English  phrase 
"fret  not"  is  significant.  It  is  so  blunt  as  to 
sound  almost  like  a  bit  of  American  slang.  Lit- 
erally it  means  "don't  get  hot."  The  New  Testa- 
ment has  the  sixth  chapter  of  Matthew  with 
Jesus*  own  words.  One  should  be  careful  here  to 
note  the  better  reading  of  the  revision.  The  old 
version  says  "take  no  thought,"  and  that  has  been 
misunderstood  by  many  who  have  not  thought 
about  its  meaning.  The  newer  translations  are 
truer  to  the  meaning  on  Jesus'  lips.  Do  not  take 
anxious  thought,  "be  not  anxious."  But  apart 
from  these  two  chapters  there  is  a  phrase  run- 
ning through  these  pages  clear  through  the  whole 
Book,  a  phrase  shot  through,  piercing  every- 
where, even  as  the  glorious  sunlight  pierces 
through  the  thick  cloud  and  fog.     I  mean  the 


Worry.  163 

phrase  "fear  not."    All  worry  roots  down  its 
tenacious  tendrils  in  fear, 

A  Fence  of  Trust. 


It  will  help  to  understand  just  what  worry  is. 
It  is  always  an  advantage  to  get  an  enemy  clearly 
defined  and  keep  it  so,  so  you  can  hit  it  harder, 
and  make  every  blow  tell  on  a  vital  part  of  its 
anatomy. 

Worry  is  not  concern,  but  distress  of  mind. 
Some  one  said  to  me  at  the  close  of  a  talk  on 
worry,  "some  folks  ought  to  worry  more."  Of 
course  he  meant  that  some  people  should  bear 
their  share  of  the  responsibilities  of  life,  instead 
of  selfishly  and  lazily  shirking  them.  There  is  a 
proper  concern  about  matters  for  which  we  are 
responsible.  A  man  never  makes  a  good  speech 
unless  there  is  a  feeling  of  concern,  of  appre- 
hension lest  there  be  failure  in  that  for  which  he 
is  pleading.  A  strong  sensitive  spirit  feels  the 
responsibility  and  does  the  best  to  meet  it. 
Worry  is  mental  distress.  It  is  sinking  under 
the  sense  of  responsibility.  It  is  yielding  to  the 
fear  that  there  may  be  failure,  instead  of  gripping 
the  lines  and  whip  and  determining  to  ride  down 
the  chance  of  its  coming. 

Sometimes  worry  is  carrying  to-morrow*s  load 
with  to-day's  strength ;  carrying  two  days  in  one. 
It  is    moving   into   to-morrow   ahead   of   time. 


164  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

There  is  just  one  day  in  the  calendar  of  action; 
that's  to-day.  Planning  should  include  a  wide 
swing  of  days ;  wise  planning  must.  But  action 
belongs  to  one  day  only,  to-day. 

*♦  Build  a  little  fence  of  trust 

Around  to-day ; 
Fill  the  space  with  living  work 

And  therein  stay; 
Look  not  through  the  sheltering  bars 

Upon  to-morrow; 
God  will  help  thee  bear  what  comes 

Of  joy  or  sorrow." 

"  Live  for  to-day;  to-morrow's  sun 

To-morrow's  cares  will  bring  to  light. 
Go  like  the  infant  to  thy  sleep 
And  heaven  thy  morn  shall  bless." 

'A  Lord  of  the  Harvest. 

Sometimes  worry  is  carrying  a  load  that  one 
should  not  carry  at  all.  I  think  it  was  Lyman 
Beecher  who  said  that  he  got  along  very  comfort- 
ably after  he  gave  up  running  the  universe. 
Some  good  earnest  people  are  greatly  concerned 
about  the  way  things  in  the  world  are  going. 
I'm  obliged  to  confess  to  some  pretty  serious 
blunders  there.  It  seemed  to  me  that  there  was 
so  much  to  be  done,  so  many  people  needing 
help,  so  much  of  wrong  and  sin  to  fight  that  I 
must  be  ever  pushing  and  never  sleeping.  I  had 
to  sleep  of  course;  but  all  my  burden,  which 


Worry.  165 

meant  the  burden  of  the  world's  need  as  I  saw  it, 
was  lugged  faithfully  to  bed  every  night.  There 
was  a  lot  of  pillow-planning.  But  I  found  that 
the  wrinkles  grew  thick,  and  the  physical  strength 
gave  out,  and  yet  at  the  end  of  vigorous  cam- 
paigning there  seemed  about  as  much  left  to  do 
as  ever. 

Then  one  day  my  tired  eyefe  lit  upon  that 
wondrous  phrase,  *'the  lord  of  the  harvest."  It 
caught  fire  in  my  heart  at  once.  "Oh!  there 
is  a  Lord  of  the  harvest,"  I  said  to  myself.  I 
had  been  forgetting  that.  He  is  a  Lord,  a  mas- 
terful one.  He  has  the  whole  campaign  mapped 
out,  and  each  one's  part  in  helping  mapped  out 
too.  And  I  let  the  responsibility  of  the  campaign 
lie  over  where  it  belonged.  When  night  time 
came  I  went  to  bed  to  sleep.  My  pillow  was 
this,  'There  is  a  Lord  of  the  harvest." 

My  keynote  came  to  be  obedience  to  Him. 
That  meant  keen  ears  to  hear,  keen  judgment  to 
understand,  keeping  quiet  so  the  sound  of  His 
voice  would  always  be  distinctly  heard.  It  meant 
trusting  Him  when  things  didn't  seem  to  go  with 
a  swing.  It  meant  sweet  sleep  at  night,  and  new 
strength  at  the  day's  beginning.  It  did  not  mean 
any  less  work!.  It  did  seem  to  mean  less  friction, 
less  dust.  Aye,  it  meant  better  work,  for  there 
was  a  swing  to  it,  and  a  joyous  abandon  in  it,  and 
a  rhythm  of  music  with  it.  And  the  under- 
current of  thought  came  to  be  like  this :  There  is 


1 66  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

a  Lord  to  the  harvest.  He  is  taking  care  of 
things.  My  part  is  full,  faithful,  intelligent 
obedience  to  Him.  He  is  a  Master,  a  masterful 
One.  He  is  organizing  victory.  And  the  fine 
tingle  of  victory  was  ever  in  the  air. 


Do  Your  Best — Leave  the  Rest. 

I  knew  a  mother  one  of  whose  sons  was  not 
a  Qiristian  man,  and  not  of  good  habits.  She 
was  a  devoted  true  Christian  woman,  bearing 
her  part  in  life's  service  with  fine  faith  and  a 
keen  sweet  spirit.  The  children  were  all  Chris- 
tians but  this  one,  her  first-born,  the  beginning 
of  her  strength.  The  thought  of  him  troubled 
her  much.  She  prayed  fervently,  and  used  her 
best  endeavor,  and  the  years  grew  on  without 
change.  And  her  face  showed  the  burden  upon 
her  fine  spirit.  We  would  talk  together  about 
her  son,  and  pray  together,  but  her  brow  remained 
clouded. 

Then  I  marked  a  change.  The  lines  of  tension 
in  her  face  relaxed.  A  new  quiet  light  came 
into  her  eye.  There  seemed  a  gentle  intangible, 
but  very  sure,  peace  breathing  about  her.  And 
I  knew  there  was  no  change  in  him.  So  one 
day  in  conversation  I  ventured  to  ask  about  the 
change.  And  I  shall  always  remember  the  gentle 
voice  and  the  quiet  strength  with  which  she  said, 
"I  have  given  him  over  to  my  Father.     And  I 


Worry.  167 

know  He  will  not  fail  me.  I  am  still  praying,  of 
course,  as  ever,  and  I  am  trusting  for  him."  She 
had  been  carrying  a  load  that  she  should  not  have 
been  carrying.  And  now  while  the  mother-heart 
was  still  concerned  as  much  as  ever,  the  sense 
of  assured  victory  brought  the  change  in  her 
spirit. 

Sometimes  worry  is  fretting  over  past  mis- 
takes ;  it  is  chafing  about  what  we  do  not  under- 
stand, or  about  plans  of  ours  that  have  failed. 
A  good  deal  of  worry  comes  from  pride  and  over- 
sensitiveness.  The  roots  here,  it  will  be  noticed, 
of  all  alike  are  down  in  our  own  failures,  our 
own  selves.  And  there  would  be  cause  for  more 
worry  if  we  had  only  ourselves.  But  we  have 
a  Father.    , 

A  very  great  deal  of  worry  is  wholly  due  to 
physical  causes.  Overworked  nerves  always  see 
things  distorted.  Huge  phantom  shapes  loom  up 
before  us.  Overwork  always  makes  a  sensitive 
spirit  worry,  and  worry  usually  makes  us  over- 
work until  we  drop  from  exhaustion.  When  the 
cause  is  here,  there  are  some  simple  human  helps. 
Some — a  good  bit — of  God's  fresh  air  will  work 
wonders.  Even  good  people  seem  unchange- 
ably opposed  to  God's  air,  and  insist  on  breath- 
ing old,  worn-out,  used-up  second-hand  air,  God 
would  be  greatly  glorified  if  housekeepers  and 
church  sextons  were  given  a  practical  course  in 
the  use  of  fresh  air,  God's  air.     With  that  should 


1 68  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

be  simple  food,  and  simple  dress,  and  abundant 
sleep,  and  simple  standards  of  life. 

Worry  is  utterly  useless.  It  never  serves  a 
good  purpose.  It  brings  no  good  results.  "Which 
of  you  can  by  being  anxious  add  a  single  span 
to  the  measure  of  his  life?"  Jesus  asks  in 
that  sixth  of  Matthew.  But  much  more  can  be 
said.  It  brings  bad  results.  The  revision  brings 
out  the  clear,  simple  meaning  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Psalm,  eighth  verse.  The  old  version 
seems  a  bit  puzzling,  **Fret  not  thyself  in  anywise 
to  do  evil."  The  revision  reads,  "Fret  not  thy- 
self, it  tendeth  only  to  evil  doing."  The  results 
of  worrying  are  always  bad.  The  judgment  is 
impaired.  One  cannot  think  so  clearly  nor  see 
so  clearly.  The  temper  is  ruffled.  The  door  is 
quickly  opened  to  worse  things. 

It  is  sinful  to  worry.  For  the  Master  re- 
peatedly commands  us,  "Be  not  anxious."  It 
helps  to  get  a  habit  labeled  correctly.  Here  to 
tack  on  "sinful"  in  block  letters,  black  ink,  white 
paper,  so  as  to  get  greatest  contrast  is  a  decided 
help.  And  worrying  is  a  reproach  upon  Jesus. 
Let  the  Gentiles,  the  outsiders,  the  people  who 
have  not  taken  Jesus  into  their  lives,  let  them 
worry  if  they  zvill.  But  we  must  not.  For  we 
have  Jesus.  Let  these  who  leave  Him  out 
grow  crow-toes,  and  deeply-bitten  wrinkles,  and 
turkey-foot  markings.  Without  Him  how  can 
they  help  themselves  ?    But  we  folk  who  have 


Worry.  1 69 

Jesus  should  have  smoothly  rounded  faces,  the 
lines  all  filled  up  and  ironed  out.  It  reproaches 
Jesus  before  folks  for  us  to  be  as  they  are  in 
this  regard. 

Out  of  the  midst  of  a  great  pressure  of  work, 
with  a  body  tired  out,  Dr.  Charles  F.  Deems,  the 
busy  pastor  of  The  Church  of  The  Strangers  in 
New  York  City,  wrote  these  lines  years  ago: 

"  The  world  is  wide, 
In  time  and  tide, 
And  God  is  quick  ; 
Then  do  not  hurry, 

•*  That  man  is  blest, 
Who  does  his  best^ 
And  leaves  the  rest; 
Then  do  not  worry. ^* 

A  man  should  do  his  best.  There  should  be 
no  shirking.  Yet  I  need  hardly  say  that  here, 
because  shirking  people,  lazy  people  do  not  worry. 
They  haven't  enough  snap  about  them  to  worry. 
But  it  steadies  one  to  put  the  thing  just  as  Dr. 
Deems  put  it.  ''Do  your  best,  and,  then  leave  all 
the  rest  to  God."  And  when  sleep  time  comes, 
sleep. 

Anxious  for  Nothing. 

Likely  as  not  some  one  will  say,  "We  knew 
all  that  before.  But  how  are  we  going  to  quit 
worrying?     That's  what  we  need  to  be  told." 


lyo  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Well,  I  can  tell  you.  Sometimes  a  man  speaks 
cautiously,  but  here  one  can  speak  with  great 
positiveness.  There  are  three  simple  rules  how 
not  to  worry.  They  are  infallible.  I  heard  of  a 
society  whose  purpose  it  was  to  cure  worry. 
There  were  thirty-seven  rules,  I  think.  It  would 
worry  some  of  us  a  good  bit  to  memorize  any 
such  length  of  instruction  as  that.  The  remedy 
seems  to  be  on  a  high  shelf.  And  in  standing  up 
on  a  chair  and  reaching  there  is  some  danger  that 
the  chair  may  tip  over  and  the  last  state  not  be 
an  improvement  on  the  first. 

But  here  are  three  very  simple  rules,  easy  to 
follow,  and  they  will  never  fail.  They  are  not 
my  rules,  that  is,  not  of  my  making,  or  I  might 
not  be  speaking  so  positively.  They  are  given  by 
the  blessed  Holy  Spirit,  through  our  dear  old 
friend  Paul.  In  Philippians,  chapter  four,  verses 
six  and  seven,  are  the  words  that  contain  the 
rules :  *Tn  nothing  be  anxious ;  but  in  everything 
by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving  let 
your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God.  And 
the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing, shall  guard  your  hearts  and  your  thoughts 
in  Christ  Jesus." 

The  first  rule  is  this,  anxious  for  nothing.  In 
other  words,  don't  worry.  Deliberately  refuse 
to  think  about  annoying  things.  Set  yourself 
against  being  disturbed  by  disturbing  things. 
Say  to  yourself,  it  is  useless,  it  has  bad  results. 


Worry.  171 

it  is  sinful,  it  is  reproaching  my  Master,  I  won't. 
That  is  the  first  simple  rule. 


Thankful  for  Anything. 

The  second  helps  to  carry  out  the  first.  It  is 
this,  thankful  for  anything.  Thanksgiving  and 
praise  are  always  associated  with  singing. 
When  you  feel  the  worry  mood  creeping  on — it 
is  a  mood  that  attacks  you — when  it  comes  sing 
something,  especially  something  with  Jesus'  name 
in  it.  These  temptations  to  worry  are  from  the 
Evil  One.  He  can  come  in  only  through  an  open 
door.  Remember  that.  Yet  the  open  doors 
seem  plenty.  Even  when  we  trustingly  and  reso- 
lutely keep  every  door  of  evil  shut  the  circle  in 
which  we  move  will  open  doors  upon  us.  Sing- 
ing something  with  Jesus'  name  in  it  sends  him 
or  any  of  his  brood  off  quickly.  They  hate  that 
Name  of  their  Conqueror.  They  get  away  from 
the  sound  of  it  as  fast  as  they  can. 

A  friend  was  calling  upon  another  and  began 
pouring  out  a  stream  of  personal  woes.  This 
had  gone  wrong,  and  this,  and  this  other  would 
go  wrong.  Everything  was  wrong.  And  her 
friend,  who  knew  her  quite  well,  had  her  get  a 
pencil  and  paper  and  asked  her  if  possibly  there 
was  one  thing  for  which  she  could  be  thankful. 
Reluctantly  from  her  lips  came  the  mention  of 
some   particular   thing   for  which   she   felt   in- 


172  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

deed  grateful.  Then  a  second  was  gradually 
recalled,  and  then  more.  And  as  the  train 
of  thought  grew  on  her  she  suddenly  asked, 
"Why  was  I  so  despondent  when  I  came  in? 
Everything  seems  so  changed." 

It's  a  fine  thing  to  go  about  one's  work  sing- 
ing some  hymn  with  praise  in  it,  and  with  Jesus' 
name  in  it.  And  if  singing  may  not  always  be 
allowable  under  all  circumstances,  you  can  hum 
a  tune.  And  that  brings  up  to  the  memory  the 
words  connected  with  it.  I  know  of  a  woman  who 
was  much  given  to  worrying.  She  made  it  a  rule 
to  sing  the  long-meter  doxology  whenever  things 
seemed  not  right.  Ofttimes  she  could  hardly  get 
her  lips  shaped  up  to  begin  the  first  words.  But 
she  would  persist.  And  by  the  time  the  fourth 
line  came  it  was  ringing  out  and  her  atmosphere 
had  changed  without  and  within. 

This  was  David's  rule.  He  said:  "Thy  stat- 
utes have  been  my  songs  in  the  house  of  my  pil- 
grimage."^ He  is  not  speaking  of  the  time  when 
he  was  acknowledged  king  over  both  Judah  and 
all  Israel,  when  the  fortress  of  Jerusalem  was  his 
own  capital.  No,  he  is  talking  of  the  earlier 
days  of  his  pilgrimage.  When  he  was  being 
hunted  over  the  Judean  fastnesses  by  King  Saul. 
When  with  his  band  of  faithful  men  he  was  ever 
fleeing  for  his  life.  He  slept  in  caves  and  dena 
or  out  in  the  open,  and  always  with  one  eye  open, 
*  Psalm  cxix:  54, 


Worry.  173 

There  he  used  to  sing  God's  praises.  A  messen- 
ger would  come  breathlessly  in  some  morning 
with  the  news  that  Saul  was  just  over  yonder 
ravine  with  a  thousand  men.  And  as  David 
planned  what  best  to  do,  and  arranged  his  men, 
he  would  be  singing. 

Maybe    he    would    sing    that    Twenty-third 
Psalm  : 

"  For  Thou  art  with  me;  and  Thy  rod 
And  staff  me  comfort  still." 

Or,  maybe  sometimes, 

•♦  To  Thee  I  lift  my  soul; 
O  Lord,  I  trust  in  Thee: 
My  God,  let  me  not  be  ashamed 
^or  foes  triumph  o'er  me." 

Or,  likely,  he  often  sang: 

"  The  Lord's  my  light  and  saving  health; 
Who  shall  make  me  dismayed  ? 
My  life's  strength  it  the  Lord;  of  whom 
Then  shall  I  be  afraid  ?" 

Or  if  perhaps  Ezra  wrote  this  psalm  it  takes  one 
back  to  his  weary,  dangerous  journey  over  from 
Babylon  to  Jerusalem  and  the  very  difficult  work 
he  was  undertaking  in  Jerusalem  in  reorganiz- 
ing the  life  of  the  people  again.  He  used  to  sing 
on  the  way,  and  through  all  his  difficulties. 
It  is  a  great  rule. 


'74  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

**  When  the  day  is  gloomy 
Sing  some  happy  song; 
Meet  the  world's  repining 
With  a  courage  strong." 

Some  one  asked  me  if  whistling  would  do. 
She  was  a  busy  housewife  and  said  that  was  her 
rule.  I  have  gone  to  singing  myself.  But 
maybe  whistling  is  just  as  good.  Vm  inclined 
to  favor  giving  it  a  place  within  the  range  of  this 
rule. 

There's  a  bit  of  deep,  simple  philosophy  here. 
Music  is  divine.  There  is  no  music  in  the  head- 
quarters of  the  enemy.  He  has  used  it  a  great 
deal  on  the  earth.  That's  a  bit  of  his  cunning. 
But  he  always  has  to  steal  it  from  God's  sphere, 
and  work  it  over  to  suit  his  own  crafty  purposes. 
Music,  singing,  is  an  open  doorway  for  the 
Spirit  of  God  to  come  in,  and  come  in  anew  and 
move  freely.  Its  sweet  harmonies  found  their 
birth  in  the  presence  of  God  where  sweetest  har- 
monies reign.  Lovers  of  music  should  be  lovers 
of  God,  for  He  is  the  one  great  Master-musician. 

When  Elisha  was  asked  to  prophesy  victory  for 
Israel  over  the  enemy  at  one  time,  he  refused. 
He  was  not  in  harmony  with  this  king  nor  his 
associates.  His  spirit  refused  to  respond  to  their 
request.  But  at  their  urgent  request  he  yielded, 
and  called  for  a  musician.  And  as  the  strains  of 
music  fell  upon  his  ear  and  entered  into  his  spirit 
he  felt  the  divine  presence  and  influence  anew. 


Worry.  175 

We  should  use  the  musician  more  in  our  days  of 
battle.  And  God  has  wonderfully  provided 
every  one  of  us  with  a  music-box  of  sweet  melo- 
dies. If  we  would  only  open  the  lid,  and  let  fre- 
quent use  wear  off  the  rust,  and  sing  His  praise 
more.  In  music  God  speaks  to  us  anew  with 
great  power.  This  is  the  second  rule,  thankful 
for  anything. 

Prayerful  about  Everything. 

The  third  rule  helps  to  make  both  first  and 
second  effective.  These  three  are  closely  inter- 
woven. They  always  work  together.  Each 
suggests  the  other  two.  They  are  an  interwoven 
trinity.  Tbe  third  is  this,  prayerful  about  every- 
thing. There  are  some  unusually  fine  bits  from 
the  old  Book  to  help  here.  Referring  to  the 
discipline  which  God's  love  makes  Him  use, 
David  says  :  "For  His  anger  is  but  for  a  moment: 
His  favor  is  for  a  lifetime.  Weeping  may  come 
in  to  lodge  at  even,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morn- 
ing."^ There  may  be  weeping.  There  shall  be 
joy.    Weeping  won't  stay  long. 

There's  a  morning  coming,  always  a  morning 
coming,  with  the  sunshine  and  the  chorus  of  the 
birds.  Love's  discipling  touch  that  seems  at  the 
moment  like  anger  is  only  for  a  moment.  (The 
printer  wanted  to  change  that  word  discipling  tQ 
*  Psalm  XXX :  5. 


176  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

disciplining;  but  God's  tenderness  comes  to  us 
anew  when  we  realize  that  disciplining  with  its 
sharp  edge  means  the  same  as  discipling  with  its 
softer  warmer  touch.)  The  loving  favor  is  for 
always,  a  lifetime  of  eternal  life. 

Again  David  says,  ''Cast  thy  burden  upon  the 
Lord,  and  He  shall  sustain  thee."^  The  margin 
explains  that  the  thing  that  weighs  as  a  burden  is 
something  God  has  given  us.  He  has  sent  it  or 
allowed  it  to  come.  He  has  strong  purpose  in  all 
He  does.  Here  the  promise  is  not  that  the  burden 
will  be  removed,  but  that  He  will  pick  up  both 
you  and  your  burden  into  His  arms  and  carry 
both.  Many  a  man  has  praised  God  for  the 
burden  that  made  him  know  the  tender  touch  of 
strong  arms. 

The  same  thing  is  repeated  in  the  Sixty-eighth 
Psalm*  with  tender  variations.  ''Blessed  be  the 
Lord  who  day  by  day  beareth  our  burden." 
Probably  Peter  knew  a  good  bit  about  this  sub- 
ject. His  temperament  was  of  the  impulsive  sort 
that  knows  quick  squalls  at  sea.  But  he  had 
learned  how  to  ride  through  them  undisturbed  to 
the  calmer  waters.  He  says,  "Casting  all  your 
anxiety  upon  Him  because  He  careth  for  you."* 
The  force  of  the  French  version  is  said  to  be 
"unloading  your  anxiety  upon  Him."  Back  the 
cart  up,  tilt  it  over,  let  down  the  tail-board,  let 

*  Psalm  Iv:  22.  '  Psalm  Ixviii:  19. 

•  I  Peter  v:  7, 


Worry.  177 

it  all  slip  out  over  upon  Him.  The  literal  read- 
ing of  that  last  half  is,  "He  has  you  on  His 
heart" 

"  Is  not  this  enough  alone 

For  the  gladness  of  the  day  ?  " 


But  many  of  us  have  an  inner  feeling  that  some 
matters  are  too  small,  too  trivial  to  take  to  God. 
We  will  take  the  great  things,  the  serious  things 
to  Him  and  find  the  help  needed.  But  it  seems 
childish  almost  to  be  bothering  the  great  God 
about  trifling  details,  we  are  apt  to  think.  We 
are  even  annoyed  with  ourselves  to  think  that  we 
have  allowed  such  petty  things  to  make  us  lose 
our  balance  and  control.  We  want  to  under- 
score and  italicize  this  fact:  If  a  thing  is  big 
enough  to  concern  you,  it  is  not  too  small  for 
Him  "because  He  has  you  on  His  heart/'  For 
your  sake  He  is  eager  to  help  in  anything,  how- 
ever small  in  itself  it  may  seem. 

Indeed  it  is  the  little  things  that  fret  and  tease 
and  nag  so.  The  big  things  are  more  easily 
handled.  But  the  little  insectivorous  details  thai 
will  not  down !  Have  you  ever  had  this  experi- 
ence ?  You  have  retired  on  a  hot  summer  night, 
tired  and  heavy  with  sleep.  You  are  almost  oif 
when  a  mosquito  that  in  some  inexplicable  way 
has  eluded  all  screens  and  nettings  comes  singing 
its  way  about  your  face.     It  is   just  one.     It 


lyS  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

seems  so  small.  If  it  were  only  big  enough  to 
hit,  something  worthy  of  one's  strength.  But 
the  mean  little  nagging  specimen  seems  to  elude 
every  effort  of  yours.  Maybe  you  take  calm, 
deliberate  measures  to  end  its  existence,  but 
meanwhile  you  are  thoroughly  aroused  and  lose 
quite  a  bit  of  the  sleep  you  need. 

Just  such  a  mosquito  warfare  do  the  little 
cares  make  upon  one's  strength,  frittering  it 
away.  It  cannot  be  too  insistently  repeated  that 
whatever  is  big  enough  to  cause  me  any  thought 
is  not  too  small  for  my  God  He  is  concerned 
because  I  am  concerned. 


A  Steamer  Chair  for  His  Friend. 

It  helps  immensely  here  to  recall  the  necessary 
qualities  of  a  great  executive,  one  who  is  con- 
cerned about  the  conduct  of  large  affairs.  There 
are  two  great  qualities  absolutely  needful  in  any 
one  occupying  such  a  position.  There  must  be 
the  ability  to  grasp  the  whole  scheme  involved, 
and  to  keep  one's  finger  upon  every  detail,  as 
well.  God  is  a  great  executive,  the  great  execu- 
tive of  the  universe.  He  planned  the  vast  scheme 
of  worlds  making  up  the  universe,  and  every 
detail.  The  whole  universe  in  its  immensity,  and 
the  intricacy  of  its  movements,  is  kept  in  motion 
by  Him.  And  every  detail  down  to  the  smallest, 
the  falling  of  one  of  the  smallest  birds,  is  ever 


Worry.  1 7§ 

under  His  thoughtful  eye  and  touch.  And 
He  is  our  God.  He  has  each  of  us  on  Hif 
heart. 

We  may  learn  of  God  by  looking  at  man,  mad< 
in  His  image.  A  story  is  told  of  a  merchant  weU 
known  on  both  sides  of  the  water,  illustrating 
this.  His  business  interests  are  very  extensive, 
with  great  stores  in  three  of  the  world's  great 
cities.  He  has  displayed  great  genius  for  con- 
trolling the  details  of  his  vast  enterprise.  It  is 
said  that  at  one  time  when  his  business  was  de- 
veloping its  greatness,  this  was  his  habit.  He 
would  come  to  a  clerk's  desk  unexpectedly  and, 
sitting  down  quietly,  note  the  transactions  that 
came  along.  Here  was  a  sales  slip ;  three  yards 
of  calico,  seven  cents  per  yard,  twenty-one  cents ; 
a  bolt  of  ^ape,  three  cents,  total  twenty-four 
cents;  cash  fifty  cents,  twenty-six  cents  change. 
He  would  very  quietly  note  the  calculations,  and 
call  attention  to  any  inaccuracies. 

He  might  stay  there  a  half-hour.  Then  he  was 
away  again.  It  was  never  known  when  he  might 
come,  nor  where.  He  was  always  marked  for  his 
genial  courtesy  toward  all  his  employees.  That 
was  his  habit  for  years,  I  am  told.  His  talent  for 
details  amounts  to  positive  genius.  And  with  this 
goes  the  ability  to  originate  and  build  up  and  keep 
ever  growing  his  vast  business  operations.  And 
this  man  is  but  one  of  a  very  large  class  in  our 
day  of  specialized  organization.     This  faculty  of 


i8o  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

controlling  both  the  whole,  and  each  detail,  is  a 
bit  of  the  image  of  God  in  these  men.  Only  man 
is  ever  less  than  God.  The  best  organization 
slips  sometimes,  somewhere.  But  God  never 
fails.  Each  of  us  is  personal  to  Him.  He  can 
think  of  each  as  though  there  were  no  other  needl- 
ing His  thought,  and  He  does. 

A  little  incident  is  told  of  George  Mtiller  of 
Bristol,  England.  He  is  the  man  who  taught  the 
whole  world  anew  how  to  trust  God.  Poor  in 
his  own  holdings,  he  expended  millions  of  dol- 
lars in  caring  for  orphans,  supporting  mission- 
aries, and  distributing  printed  truth.  He  never 
asked  any  man  for  money  nor  made  any  needs 
known.  He  trusted  God  for  all  and  for  each. 
The  two  thousand  and  more  orphans,  and  the 
cutting  of  his  quill  pen  were  alike  subjects  of 
prayer  with  him. 

At  one  time,  in  the  course  of  his  missionary 
travels  around  the  world,  he  was  embarking  on 
an  ocean  voyage.  He  was  an  old  man  at  the 
time,  and  accompanied  by  a  young  man  who 
attended  to  the  details  of  travel.  After  they 
had  boarded  the  steamer  his  companion  came 
up  hurriedly  to  say  that  the  steamer  chair  for 
Mr.  Miiller's  use  was  not  on  board  and  he 
could  not  get  any  trace  of  it.  It  would  of  course 
be  a  very  necessary  convenience  for  the  steamer 
trip.  Mr.  Miiller  inquired  if  the  proper  notice 
had  been  sent  to  have  it  on  board.    Yes,  all  had 


Worry.  i8i 

been  done  that  should  have  been  done.  And  now 
the  time  was  very  short. 

Mr.  Muller  breathed  a  quiet  prayer,  and  then 
said  to  his  companion  not  to  be  disturbed,  that  he 
felt  sure  it  would  be  on  hand  in  time.  The  at- 
tendant went  off  again  to  see  what  could  be  done, 
came  back  evidently  annoyed  at  the  possibility  of 
his  elder  distinguished  companion  being  incon- 
venienced. But  Mr.  Miiller  quieted  him  with 
the  assurance  that  the  chair  would  come.  They 
stood  at  the  side  rail  above,  overlooking  the  dock. 

At  the  very  last  moment,  just  as  the  hawsers 
were  about  to  be  thrown  off,  and  the  gang  plank 
pulled  away,  a  truck  of  luggage  was  hurriedly 
run  on  board,  and  on  top  of  the  pile  the  friends 
watching  above  could  plainly  see  a  steamer  chair 
with  G.  M.  fnarked  on  it.  Mr.  Miiller,  standing 
in  his  group  of  friends,  looked  up  past  them  and 
quietly  said,  'Tather,  I  thank  Thee."  Was  God 
in  that  simple  occurrence  ?  He  surely  was.  He 
was  concerned  that  His  faithful  friend  should 
have  the  chair  for  his  bodily  comfort.  Man's 
arrangements  seemed  in  danger  of  slipping.  His 
overruling  touch  was  put  in  for  His  friend's  sake. 
A  chair  wasn't  too  small  for  God  because  it  was 
for  His  friend,  Mr.  Muller. 

He  Has  Yon  on  His  Heart. 

I   got  a   similar   story   from  Dr.   James   H. 


1 82  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Brookes  of  St.  Louis,  a  number  of  years  ago 
while  in  his  home  over  night.  It  was  about  J. 
Hudson  Taylor,  founder  of  the  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion, who  had  learned  through  many  years  of 
trusting  how  faithful  God  is.  Mr.  Taylor  had 
been  speaking  in  Dr.  Brookes'  church,  and  was  to 
go  to  a  town  in  southern  Illinois  to  speak  at  the 
Sabbath  services.  Saturday  morning  they  went 
down  to  the  railroad  station  to  get  the  train,  and 
stepped  into  the  station  just  as  the  train  was 
pulling  out  at  the  other  end.  There  was  no  pos- 
sible chance  of  catching  it.  It  seemed  all  the 
more  exasperating  that  they  could  see  the  train 
moving  away  out  of  reach. 

Dr.  Brookes  of  course  felt  much  chagrined. 
Mr.  Taylor  being  a  stranger  in  the  country,  and 
the  guest  of  Dr.  Brookes,  had  trusted  his  ar- 
rangements. Inquiries  were  quickly  made  about 
other  trains.  But  there  would  not  be  another 
train  out  that  way  until  night.  And  as  they  were 
questioning  and  talking  the  station-master  said, 
''There's  that  train  over  there ;  it  runs  into  Illinois 
and  crosses  another  road  down  to  where  you  want 
to  go.  They  are  supposed  to  make  connections, 
but  they  never  do."  Dr.  Brookes  said  he  went  off 
to  make  further  inquiries,  and  coming  back  in  a 
few  moments  was  surprised  to  find  Mr.  Taylor 
standing  on  the  rear  platform  of  the  train  that 
never  made  the  connection. 

He  said,  "Why,  Mr.  Taylor,  that  won't  make 


Worry.  183 

the  connection."  And  Mr.  Taylor  smiled  and  in 
his  very  quiet  way  said,  "Good-bye,  Doctor,  my 
Father  runneth  the  trains."  That  seemed  to  sound 
well  for  a  sermon.  But  to  Dr.  Brookes'  misgiv- 
ings there  came  again  the  quiet  "Good-bye,  Doc- 
tor, my  Father  runneth  the  trains."  After  start- 
ing Mr.  Taylor  explained  the  situation  to  the  con- 
ductor, the  importance  of  his  engagement,  and  of 
making  the  desired  connection,  hoping  the  train- 
man might  be  of  some  service.  The  man  hoped  he 
would  get  the  train,  but  said  it  was  very  doubt- 
ful as  they  rarely  did.  Mr.  Taylor  thanked  him, 
and  sat  quietly  praying. 

Was  the  connection  made?  As  Mr.  Taylor's 
train  pulled  in  the  other  was  standing  at  the  sta- 
tion. The  conductor  said,  "Well,  there  it  is,  but 
I  didn't  expect  it."  There  was  quite  enough 
time  to  get  across  the  platform  without  hurrying 
and  into  the  other  train  when  it  moved  oif .  Was 
Grod  in  that  ?  I  have  no  difficulty  at  all  in  under- 
standing that  He  was.  What  concerned  His 
friend,  in  a  strange  land,  on  an  errand  for  Him- 
self surely  concerned  Him.  What  concerns  any 
trusting  child  of  His  concerns  Him,  for  He  has 
us  on  His  heart. 

I  recall  a  personal  experience  in  Boston  one 
summer  day.  It  was  a  very  hot  day.  I  was 
to  meet  my  mother  and  sister  in  the  North 
Union  station,  where  we  were  to  take  a  train  out. 
I  had  their  tickets.     I  reached  the  station  from 


184  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

my  errands,  hot  and  tired  and  with  my  head 
aching,  ideal  conditions  for  worry.  As  I  stepped 
into  the  station  I  realized  at  once  that  our  ap- 
pointment to  meet  was  not  very  definite.  For 
the  large  station  was  crowded.  There  was  not 
much  time  before  our  train  would  go.  And  I 
commenced  to  be  agitated,  which  is  a  gentler 
way  of  saying  worried.  What  would  I  do?  It 
would  be  extremely  inconvenient,  especially  for 
my  mother,  to  miss  the  train.  And  the  time  was 
short,  and — and . 

You  see  I  was  not  a  graduate  in  this  don't- 
worry  school.  I'm  not  yet ;  still  studying ;  expect 
to  enter  for  post  work  when  I  do  graduate.  The 
school  is  still  open ;  open  to  all ;  instruction  given 
individually  only ;  the  Teacher  has  had  long  ex- 
perience Himself  on  the  earth,  in  the  thick  of 
things. 

Well,  I  said  as  I  stood  a  moment  in  the  thick 
crowd,  "Master,  you  know  where  they  are. 
Please  take  me  to  them.  Maybe  I  should  have 
been  more  careful  about  the  appointment,  but  I 
was  tired  at  the  start.  Please — thank  you." 
And  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  you  I  met 
them  right  in  the  thick  of  the  great  crowd.  And 
I  felt  sure  that  Peter  got  his  putting  of  it  straight 
when  he  said  of  the  Master,  ''He  has  you  on  His 
heart:' 


Worry.  185 

PauVs  Prison  Psalm. 

Did  Paul  follow  his  own  rules?  The  best 
answer  to  that  is  this  little  four-chaptered  epistle 
where  the  rules  are  found.  Philippians  is  a 
prison  psalm.  The  clanking  of  chains  resounds 
throughout  its  brief  pages.  At  one  end  is 
Philippi ;  at  the  other  Rome.  Here  is  the  Philip- 
pian  end.  In'  the  inner  dungeon  of  a  prison, 
dark,  dirty,  damp,  is  a  man,  Paul.  His  back  is 
bleeding  and  sore  from  the  whipping-post.  His 
feet  are  fast  in  the  stocks.  His  position  is  about 
as  cramped  and  painful  as  it  can  be.  It  is  mid- 
night. Paul  would  be  asleep  for  weariness  and 
exhaustion,  but  the  position  and  the  pain  hinder. 

Does  no  temptation  come  to  him  ?  He  had  been 
following  a  vision  in  coming  over  to  Philippi. 
This  is  a  great  ending  to  the  vision  he's  been  hav- 
ing. Did  no  such  temptation  come  ?  Very  likely 
it  did.  But  Paul  is  an  old  campaigner.  He 
knows  best  what  to  do.  He  begins  singing. 
His  music  is  pitched  in  the  major  too.  Most 
likely  he  is  singing  one  of  the  old  Hebrew  psalms 
that  he  knew  by  heart.  It  was  a  psalm  of  praise. 
That  is  one  end  of  this  epistle. 

At  the  other  end  Paul  is  a  prisoner  at  Rome.  As 
he  sits  dictating  his  letter,  if  he  gets  tired  and 
would  swing  one  limb  over  the  other  for  a  change, 
a  heavy  chain  at  his  ankle  reminds  him  of  his 
bonds.     As  he  reaches  for  a  quill  to  put  a  loving 


1 86  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

touch  to  the  end  of  the  parchment,  again  the 
forged  steel  pulls  at  his  wrist.  That  is  the  set- 
ting of  Philippians,  the  prison  psalm.  What  is 
its  key  word  ?  Is  it  patience  ?  That  would  seem 
appropriate.  Is  it  long-suffering  ?  More  appro- 
priate yet.  Some  of  us  know  about  short-suffer- 
ing, but  we  are  apt  to  be  a  bit  short  on  long- 
suffering.  The  keyword  is  joy,  with  its  vari- 
ations of  rejoice,  and  rejoicing. 

And  notice  what  joy  is.  It  is  the  cataract  in  the 
stream  of  life.  Peace  is  the  gentle  even  flowing  of 
the  river.  Joy  is  where  the  waters  go  bubbling, 
leaping  with  ecstatic  bound,  and  forever  after,  as 
they  go  on,  making  the  channel  deeper  for  the 
quiet  flow  of  peace.  Paul  had  put  his  no-worry 
rules  through  the  crucible  of  experience.  He 
follows  the  Master  in  that.  These  three  rules 
really  mean  living  ever  in  that  Master's  presence. 
When  we  realize  that  He  is  ever  alongside  then 
it  will  be  easier  to  be 

Anxious  for  nothing, 
Thankful  for  anything. 
Prayerful  about  everything. 

He  Touched  Her  Hand. 


One  morning  on  waking,  a  woman  charged 
with  the  care  of  a  home  began  thinking  of  the 
day's  simple  duties.  And  as  she  thought  they 
seemed  to  magnify  and  pile  up.     There  was  her 


Worry.  187 

little  daughter  to  get  off  to  school  with  her 
luncheon.  Some  of  the  church  ladies  were  com- 
ing that  morning  for  a  society  meeting,  and  she 
had  been  planning  a  dainty  luncheon  for  them. 
The  maid  in  the  kitchen  was  not  exactly  ideal — 
yet.  And  as  she  thought  into  the  day  her  head 
began  aching. 

After  breakfast,  as  her  husband  was  leaving 
for  the  day's  business,  he  took  her  hand  and 
kissed  her  good-bye.  "Why,"  he  said,  "my 
dear,  your  hand  is  feverish.  I'm  afraid  you've 
been  doing  too  much.  Better  just  take  ?  day 
off."  And  he  was  gone.  And  she  said  to 
herself,  "A  day  off !  The  idea !  Just  like  a  man 
to  think  that  I  could  take  a  day  off."  But  she 
had  been  making  a  habit  of  getting  a  little  time 
for  reading  and  prayer  after  breakfast.  Pity 
she  had  not  put  it  in  earlier,  at  the  day's  very 
start.  Yet  maybe  she  could  not.  Sometimes  it 
is  not  possible.  Yet  most  times  it  is  possible,  by 
planning. 

Now  she  slipped  to  her  room  and,  sitting 
down  quietly,  turned  to  the  chapter  in  her  regu- 
lar place  of  reading.  It  was  the  eighth  of 
Matthew.  As  she  read  she  came  to  the  words, 
"And  He  touched  her  hand,  and  the  fever  left 
her;  and  she  arose  and  ministered  unto  Him." 
And  she  knelt  and  breathed  out  the  soft  prayer 
for  a  touch  of  the  Master's  hand  upon  her  own. 
And  it  came  as  she  remained  there  a  few  mo- 


1 88  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

ments.     And  then  with  much  quieter  spirit  she 
went  on  into  the  day. 

The  luncheon  for  the  church  ladies  was  not 
quite  so  elaborate  as  she  had  planned.  There 
came  to  her  an  impulse  to  tell  her  morning's 
experience.  She  shrank  from  doing  it.  It 
seemed  a  sacred  thing.  They  might  not  under- 
stand. But  the  impulse  remained  and  she  obeyed 
it,  and  quietly  told  them.  And  as  they  listened 
there  seemed  to  come  a  touch  of  the  Spirit's  pres- 
ence upon  them  all.  And  so  the  day  was  a 
blessed  one.  Its  close  found  her  husband  back 
again.  And  as  he  greeted  her  he  said  quietly, 
''My  dear,  you  did  as  I  said,  didn't  you?  The 
fever's  gone." 


GIDEON'S    BAND:    SIFTED    FOR 
SERVICE. 


God  Wants  the  Besi. 

God's  Use  of  Weak  Things. 

Call  for  Volunteers. 

A  Willing  People. 

Courageous  Volunteers. 

Irresistible  Logic. 

Hot  Hearts. 

God  Still  Sifting. 


GIDEON'S    BAND:   SIFTED    FOR 
SERVICE. 

(i  Corinthians  i:  18-31;  Judges  vi  and  vii.) 


God  Wants  the  Best. 

Salvation  is  for  all.  Service  is  for  those 
chosen  for  it.  All  may  serve.  That  all  do  not 
is  simply  because  service  requires  qualities  which 
all  do  not  have.  Yet,  again,  all  may  have  them 
who  will,  for  the  required  qualities  are  heart 
qualities.  And  every  one  of  us  can  cultivate  the 
heart  qualities.  There  is  special  service,  chiefly 
of  leadership,  requiring  brain  qualities  as  well 
as  heart.  But  the  Master  attends  to  the  choosing 
of  men  for  such  service. 

And  where  His  spirit  has  touched  human 
hearts  there  will  be  a  glad  doing  of  just  what 
service  He  appoints.  It  will  be  an  honor  to  do 
just  what  He  asks  because  He  asks.  What  it 
may  happen  to  be  will  be  a  small  matter  in  itself. 
It  is  for  Him,  at  His  desire,  and  that  is  full 
enough  to  bring  out  the  best  we  have. 

Our  old  Tarsus  and  Antioch  friend  and  leader 
has  written  a  special  word  about  this  matter  of 
191 


192  Quiet   Talks  on  Service. 

being  chosen  for  service.  It  is  in  his  first  letter 
to  the  recently  organized  church  at  Corinth.  It 
is  really  his  second  letter,  for  he  seems  to  have 
written  one  before  it  that  has  not  been  pre- 
served.^ There  were  some  very  serious  matters 
in  this  new  church  requiring  strong  treatment 
by  its  much-loved  founder.  Among  them  was 
one  about  service. 

There  were  some  who  had  gifts  in  service  that 
seemed  more  attractive  and  desirable  than  others 
had,  it  might  be  said  more  showy.  And  their 
brethren,  not  free  from  the  old  worldly  spirit, 
were  envious  and  jealous.  And  these  who  had 
such  gifts  were  not  free  from  a  boasting  spirit. 
Factions  or  parties  had  arisen  as  a  result.  It 
was  the  bad  world  spirit  of  competition  and 
rivalry  in  among  Christ's  followers  where  it 
should  never  come,  yet  where  it  still  does  come. 
In  writing  this  letter  Paul  throughout  blends 
great  plainness  and  common  sense  with  great 
tenderness. 

In  the  beginning  of  his  letter  he  calls  attention 
to  the  fact  that  there  are  not  many  among  them 
of  those  who  were  reckoned  by  the  world's  stand- 
ards as  wise  or  mighty  or  noble.  On  the  con- 
trary, in  choosing  His  leaders  God  had  purposely 
chosen  those  reckoned  by  the  world's  standards 
foolish  that  He  might  show  plainly  the  shallow- 
ness of  what  they  deem  wise.  And  so  things 
*  X  Corinthians  v:  9-12. 


Gideon's  Band.  193 

reckoned  weak  had  been  chosen  to  give  the  con- 
ception of  what  true  strength  is.  And  things 
even  base,  and  despised,  and  not  counted  at  all 
had  been  used  that  so  men  might  learn  the  God- 
standards  of  wisdom  and  strength  and  honor  and 
of  what  is  worth  while.  The  purpose  being 
that  men  should  quit  glorying  in  themselves  and 
glorify  Him  from  whom  everything  had  come, 
and  was  ever  coming. 

The  passage  has  oftentimes  been  quoted  as 
though  God  prefers  weakness;  never  put  so 
bluntly  as  that  perhaps,  but  plainly  meaning  that. 
That  of  course  is  not  true.  God  wants  the  best 
we  have.  He  needs  the  best.  And  for  leader- 
ship often  His  plans  must  wait  till  a  man  of  the 
sort  needed  can  be  gotten.  And  gotten  fre- 
quently means  broken,  shattered,  and  then  made 
over  wholly  new,  that  the  native  strength  may  be 
used  according  to  true  standards. 

Jacob  was  chosen  rather  than  his  elder  brother 
Esau,  not  because  of  Jacob's  goodness  but  because 
of  Esau's  weakness.  God  was  narrowed  to  these 
two  grandsons  in  carrying  out  the  promise  to 
Abraham.  Jacob  was  contemptible  in  his  moral 
dealings,  but  he  had  qualities  of  leadership 
wholly  lacking  in  his  brother.  His  moral  char- 
acter was  a  serious  hindrance.  God  had  to 
handle  him  heroically  before  He  could  get  the 
use  of  his  stronger  mental  equipment.  Jacob  had 
to  get  a  bad  throw-down  before  he  would  be 


194  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

willing  to  let  God  have  His  way.  His  body  must 
be  weakened  before  his  mental  power  would 
yield.  That  was  the  weakness  of  his  stubborn- 
ness. Stubbornness  is  strength  not  strong 
enough  to  yield. 


God's  Use  of  Weak  Things, 

It  is  true  that  over  and  over  again  God  has 
used  men  utterly  weak  and  foolish  and  despised 
in  the  light  of  life's  common  standards.  He 
wants  men  of  the  best  mental  strength,  of  the 
finest  mental  training,  and  He  uses  such  when 
they  are  willing  to  be  used,  and  governed  by  the 
true  God-standards  of  life.  But  talent  seems 
specially  beset  with  temptation.  The  very 
power  to  do  great  things  seems  often  to  be- 
wilder the  man  possessing  it.  Wrong  ambition 
gets  the  saddle  and  the  reins  and  whip  too,  and 
rides  hard. 

Frequently  some  man  who  had  not  guessed  he 
had  talent,  born  in  some  lonely  walk  of  life,  with- 
out the  training  of  the  schools,  is  used  for  special 
leadership.  It  takes  longer  time  always.  Early 
mental  training  is  an  enormous  advantage. 
Carey  the  cobbler  had  mental  talents  to  grace 
a  Cambridge  chair.  It  took  a  little  longer  time 
to  get  him  into  shape  for  the  pioneer  work  he 
did  in  India.  Duff's  training  gave  him  a  great 
advantage. 


Gideon's  Band.  195 

But  God  is  never  in  a  hurry.  He  can  wait. 
What  He  asks  is  that  we  shall  bring  the  best  we 
have  natively,  with  the  best  possible  training,  and 
let  Him  use  us  absolutely  as  He  may  wish.  And 
always  remember  that  every  mental  power  is  a 
gift  from  Him;  that  actual  power  in  life  must 
be  through  Him  only;  and  that  mental  gifts  are 
not  serviceable  save  as  they  are  ever  inbreathed 
by  His  own  Spirit. 

This  word  of  Paul's  finds  most  graphic  illus- 
tration in  the  book  of  Judges.  Judges  should  be 
put  alongside  of  the  first  chapter  of  First  Cor- 
inthians. It  is  a  series  of  pictorial  illustrations 
of  what  Paul  is  saying  there.  These  two  books, 
Joshua  and  Judges,  side  by  side  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment stand,  in  sharpest  contrast.  The  keynote 
of  Joshua  is  victory;  of  Judges  defeat.  There's 
music  in  both,  but  contrasted  music,  Joshua 
rings  with  songs  in  the  major  key,  triumphant, 
militant,  joyous,  victorious. 

The  music  of  Judges  is  in  the  minor,  sad  and 
weeping,  with  the  harps  hanging  on  the  willows. 
Joshua  is  upon  the  mountain  top  with  sun  shin- 
ing and  air  bracing  and  outlook  inspiring. 
Judges  is  down  in  the  valley  bottoms,  dark  and 
gloomy,  and  depressing.  Yet  Judges  has  bright 
spots,  and  has  spurts  of  good  music  interspersed. 
It  is  a  study  in  lights  and  shadows,  bright  lights, 
and  dark  shidowings,  but  with  the  blacker  tints 
intensifying  and  overcoming  the  others. 


1^6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

There  are  here  seven  striking  illustrations  of 
God's  use  of  strange  unusual  means,  such  as  are 
reckoned  weak  and  trivial.  A  left-handed  man 
uses  that  peculiarity  to  get  a  great  victory  and 
eighteen  years  of  freedom  for  the  nation.^  A 
farmer  with  as  homely  a  weapon  as  an  ox-goad 
delivers  his  people  from  oppression.^  Men  came 
to  be  so  scarce,  that  is  men  that  were  men  enough 
to  take  their  true  place  as  leaders,  that  a  woman 
had  to  step  into  the  breach,  and  assume  leader- 
ship. But  the  student  of  history  and  of  modern 
times  is  used  to  that.  The  result  was  great  vic- 
tory, and  a  forty  years'  rest  from  the  nation's 
enemies.^ 

A  nail  or  tent-pin,  only  a  wooden  peg,  in  the 
hands  of  a  woman  with  a  hammer  helps  to  make 
the  enemy's  defeat  more  decisive.*  Three  hun- 
dred young  men  with  pitchers  and  trumpets  com- 
pletely rout  the  three  armies  of  three  nations,  and 
bring  another  deliverance.^  Another  time  a 
piece  of  a  millstone  shoved  over  the  wall  by  a 
woman  turns  the  tide  of  battle  favorably.^  And 
as  contemptible  a  thing  as  the  jawbone  of  an  ass 
in  the  hands  of  one  strong  man  is  used  to  slay 
a  thousand  men.'' 


'  Judges  iii:  15-30.  'Judges  iii:  31. 

•Judges  iv:  4-16;  v:  i.  *  Judges  iv:  17-24. 

*  Judges  vi  and  vii.  *  Judges  ix:  50-57. 

'  Judges  XV.  15-20. 


Gideon's  Band.  197 

Call  for  Volunteers. 

It  is  of  one  of  these,  one  of  the  most  striking  of 
these,  that  we  are  to  talk  together  awhile;  the 
graphic  story  of  Gideon  and  his  band  of  three 
hundred  young  fellows.  Things  were  in  bad 
shape  in  the  nation;  about  as  bad  in  every  way 
as  they  could  be.  This  time  it  was  the  Midian- 
ites  who  overran  the  land,  and  held  the  leaderless 
people  in  most  abject  slavery.  With  them  were 
joined  two  other  nations,  the  Amalekites  and  the 
Children  of  the  East.  When  the  crops  were  al- 
most ready  to  harvest,  these  raiders  swooped  in 
in  great  numbers  and  destroyed  all  the  crops  and 
drove  away  all  the  stock. 

They  harried  the  Israelites  so  that  life  was 
made  very  miserable  for  them.  They  were 
forced  to  flee  from  their  farms  and  take  refuge 
in  caves  and  dens  and  the  fastnesses  among  the 
hills.  Then,  as  usual,  when  they  got  into  bad 
shape  the  people  remembered  God,  and  cried  for 
help,  and,  as  usual  with  Him,  He  at  once  forgave 
them  and  planned  another  great  deliverance. 

First  of  all  Gideon  the  leader  is  chosen  out,  and 
put  through  a  bit  of  schooling.  That  is  a  fas- 
cinating story  of  great  helpfulness.  Then  this 
trained  young  leader  gathers  his  band  of  helpers. 
And  we  want  to  mark  keenly  how  these  three 
hundred  men  were  sifted  out  of  the  thousands 
for  service.     They  were  sifted  out.     They  sifted 


198  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

themselves  out.  In  that  army  of  thousands  were 
just  three  hundred  who  had  the  needed  quaUfica- 
tions  for  the  bit  of  service  God  wanted  done. 

Look  over  the  gathered  thousands :  which  are 
the  chosen  three  hundred?  No  man  knew. 
They  didn't  know  themselves  until  the  tests  came. 
They  chose  themselves  out  by  the  way  they  stood 
the  three  tests  applied.  Even  so  is  God  ever 
sifting  out  men  for  service.  The  more  diffi- 
cult the  service,  the  higher  the  grade  of  leader- 
ship needed,  the  severer  the  test.  The  testing 
both  reveals  the  qualities,  and  in  part  makes  them. 

The  first  quality  these  men  had  was  willing- 
ness. They  were  all  volunteers.  When  the  call 
came  they  rallied  to  the  leader's  side.  Gideon 
sent  runners,  criers,  out  throughout  that  whole 
section.  They  went  first  to  his  own  family  clan, 
then  to  his  trjbe,  then  to  three  neighboring  tribes^. 
They  said  that  God  had  called  upon  Gideon  to 
lead  a  movement  against  the  Midianites  and  their 
allies  and  he  wanted  every  man  to  come  and  help. 
The  messengers  went  swiftly  through  the  whole 
territory  of  these  neighboring  tribes,  arousing  the 
men  to  action  and  calling  for  volunteers. 

A  good  many  did  not  respond  to  the  summons. 
Some  were  simply  indifferent.  They  could  not 
help  hearing  the  call,  but  there  was  no  response 
without  or  within.  No  change  of  expression  in 
the  eye  or  face.  They  went  right  on  in  their 
heavy,  dull  way  as  though  they  hadn't  heard. 


Gideon's  Band.  199 

They  were  utterly  indifferent  to  the  call.  Some 
were  reluctant.  They  stopped  and  listened,  but 
with  a  heavy  slant  backwards  to  their  bodies. 
Their  heels  bore  most  of  their  weight.  It  was  a 
good  idea  to  get  up  such  a  movement,  the  enemy 
ought  to  be  driven  back  and  out,  but — but — and 
their  eyes  are  half  shut  already. 

Some  criticised.  Who  was  Gideon  ?  A  young 
upstart!  trying  to  push  himself  forward  as  a 
leader.  He  had  no  skill  or  experience.  And  the 
people  had  no  weapons.  The  enemy  had  stolen 
everything  of  the  sort  away.  And  they  were 
clear  outnumbered.  There  wasn't  a  ghost  of  a 
show.  It  would  only  make  bad  matters  worse. 
This  young  upstart  Gideon  would  soon  be  sorry 
enough  when  he  butted  his  head  against  the  ex- 
perienced Midianite  leaders.  And — and — and — 
there  they  are  talking,  criticising,  but  not  re- 
sponding to  the  call.  Such  critics  seldom  re- 
spond, and  helpers  criticise  in  a  very  different 
way.  It  takes  less  brain  to  criticise  unwisely, 
captiously,  far  less  than  to  help.  Almost  any 
hare-brain  can  tear  a  thing  to  pieces.  And  noth- 
ing is  commoner  than  just  such  criticism. 

Some  ridiculed.  *'Ha !  ha  !  ha !  Gideon  going 
to  be  national  leader;  ha!  ha!  ha!  And  whip 
the  enemy.  Ridiculous !  Absurd !"  And  some 
were  outrightly  opposed.  They  objected.  The 
people  would  be  aroused,  their  hopes  awakened 
only  to  be  dashed.     The  whole  thing  was  wrong, 


acx)  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

for  it  was  impossible.     And  these  men  tried  to 
keep  others  from  going. 


A  Willing  People. 

But  many  came.  A  crowd  of  volunteers  came 
hurrying  from  farms  and  caves,  bringing  such 
weapons  probably  as  they  had  been  able  to  keep 
in  hiding.  They  were  willing  to  respond.  It  was 
a  motley  crowd,  no  doubt.  There  were  thirty- 
two  thousand  of  them.  These  four  tribes  had 
once  numbered  as  many  as  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  thousand  five  hundred  fighting  men. 
And  at  another,  later,  enumeration  they  had  two 
hundred  and  twelve  thousand  men  of  war  age. 
Their  numbers  may  be  smaller  now,  though  pos- 
sibly not.  It  looks  as  though  only  a  small  minor- 
ity of  all  had  responded,  maybe  one  in  six  or  so. 

These  men  had  the  first  great  qualification  for 
service,  they  were  willing.  They  were  actively 
willing.  They  willed  to  come  down  to  the  front 
and  help  fight  the  enemy,  and  deliver  their  na- 
tion. It  is  a  great  quality  this  of  being  willing. 
That  prophetic  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Psalm 
mentions  this  as  the  great  characteristic  of  those 
who  shall  rally  about  God's  King  in  a  coming 
day  of  power.  God  reckons  our  service  not  by 
our  ability  but  by  our  willingness.^ 

Whatever  is  given  out  of  a  warm,  willing  heart 
*  2  Corinthians  viii;  12. 


Gideon*s  Band.  201 

is  eagerly  accepted  by  Him.  The  Hebrew  taber- 
nacle was  constructed  of  free-will  offerings.  The 
people  came  willingly  with  their  offerings  and 
left  them  for  Moses'  use.  Some  brought  gold 
and  silver,  some  finely  woven  tapestries  and  silks. 
Here  was  one  poor  woman  who  wanted  to  give 
but  had  very  little.  So  she  went  out  to  her  little 
flock  of  goats  whereby  her  living  came  to  her, 
and  cut  off  a  big  bunch  of  goat's  hair,  and  then 
with  much  pains  dyed  it  red. 

And  then  one  day  she  went  up  to  where  they 
were  presenting  their  gifts  and  timidly  laid  her 
bunch  of  goat's  hair  on  the  pile  of  offerings,  and 
quietly,  quickly  slipped  away.  It  seemed  very 
small  on  that  pile  of  gold  and  silver  and  richly- 
colored  v/eavings.  But  it  was  the  gift  of  her 
heart.  They  had  to  have  goat's  hair  as  well  as 
gold.  And  her  offering  was  acceptable  because 
it  came  from  a  willing  heart.  Willingness  is  a 
heart  quality.     It  is  the  heart  volunteering. 

•*  Our  wills  are  ours  to  make  them  Thine." 

This  was  the  first  test.  Thirty-two  thousand 
out  of  four  tribes  stood  this  test.  Gideon's  army 
had  one  great  qualification  at  the  start. 


Courageous  Volunteers. 

Now  these  men  are  put  to  a  second  test.    The 
next  morning  God  surprised  Gideon  by  telling 


ao2  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

him  that  he  had  too  many  men.  If  a  victory  was 
given  them  with  so  many  men  they  would  feel 
that  they  had  done  the  thing  themselves.  They 
would  grow  so  large  as  to  shut  God  out  of  their 
landscape.  There  would  be  no  getting  along 
with  them.  Each  man  would  feel  that  he  was  the 
essential  factor.  They  would  go  back  to  the 
homefolks  to  tell  of  themselves.  God  seems  to 
know  us  folk  down  on  the  earth  fairly  well. 

Now  He  would  lessen  their  numbers,  but  in 
doing  it  He  will  pick  out  the  best.  The  men  are 
encamped  on  the  hillsides  overlooking  a  valley. 
Across  the  valley  to  the  north  lay  the  encamped 
armies  of  three  nations.  They  were  a  vast  host. 
They  were  spread  out  as  thick  as  the  grasshop- 
pers of  Egypt  had  been  years  before.  Every- 
where you  looked  there  they  were  swarming. 

Gideon  spoke  to  his  men.  He  said,  "Gentle- 
men, Fellow-Israelites,  there  is  the  enemy.  Take 
a  good  look  at  them.*'  And  his  followers  looked, 
and  as  they  looked  some  of  them  began  to  get 
scared.  They  had  not  realized  just  what  was  in- 
volved. Their  footwear  seemed  to  grow  too 
large.  They  were  shaking  in  their  boots.  And 
their  eyes  grew  big  and  their  faces  white  under 
the  tan. 

Then  Gideon  said,  ''Now,  every  man  of  you 
that  thinks  it  can't  be  done — I  wish  you  would 
get  right  out  of  this,  and  go  back  home."  And 
he  watched.     And  I  imagine  even  Gideon  shook 


Gideon's  Band.  203 

a  bit  inside  as  he  watched.  They  commenced  to 
move  away  in  squads,  in  scores,  in  fifties.  Great 
gaps  were  left  in  the  mob  of  men.  Here  is  a 
fellow  standing,  looking.  He  thinks,  "It  looks 
pretty  bad,  sure  enough;  but  then,  I  suppose,  if 
God  is  planning — "  hello,  the  fellow  by  his  side 
has  gone,  and  on  this  other  side  too — "I  guess 
I'd  better  go  too."  And  off  he  goes.  Fear  is 
very  contagious.  There  is  great  power  in  feel- 
ing a  man  by  your  side.  And  two-thirds  of  them 
disappear  over  the  hills. 

The  motto  of  these  disappearing  men  was  this  : 
"It  can't  be  done."  They  must  have  organized 
themselves  into  a  society  to  perpetuate  their  own 
idea.  If  so  the  society  has  shown  great  vitality. 
Many  of  its  members  abide  with  us  until  this  day. 
No,  probably  they  didn't  organize.  They  didn't 
have  enough  gumption  to.  And  such  a  senti- 
ment grows  like  a  weed  without  any  culti- 
vation. 

I  recall  a  certain  town  in  Ohio  where  I  had 
gone  to  talk  about  an  enlargement  and  re-vitaliz- 
ing of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 
Thousands  of  young  men  in  the  place  needed 
just  such  help  as  that  organization  is  supposed  to 
provide.  I  outlined  the  plan  to  a  clergyman. 
He  said  it  was  a  good  plan,  there  was  great  need, 
the  thing  should  be  done,  "but,"  he  said,  with  an 
air  of  settlmg  the  thing,  "it  can't  be  done  in  this 
townJ' 


204  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Among  others  I  talked  with  a  business  man. 
He  listened  attentively,  approved  the  plans, 
agreed  upon  the  great  need,  and  then  settling 
back  in  his  chair  with  the  same  air  of  finality, 
used  exactly  the  same  words,  with  the  same 
emphasis,  **It  can't  be  done  in  this  town."  I  got 
that  same  reply  from  several  men  that  day.  And 
I  said  to  myself,  ''They  are  right ;  it  can't  be  done 
with  them;  but  it  can  be  done  without  them." 
And  it  was. 


Irresistible  Logic. 

But  there  remained  ten  thousand.  These  men 
by  their  staying  said,  *Tt  ought  to  be  done.  What 
ought  to  be  done  can  be  done.  What  can  be 
done  zve  can  do.  What  we  can  do  we  will  do." 
Here  is  another  man  standing  looking  at  that 
vast  host  across  the  valley.  He  is  thinking  that 
it  is  a  desperate  case,  but  he  thinks  of  God's  call 
through  Gideon.  Just  then  he  notices  that  his 
neighbor  on  the  left  has  taken  to  his  heels,  and 
on  his  right  also.  That  shakes  him  for  a  mo- 
ment. His  heels  say,  "You  go  too."  His  heart 
said,  "No,  stay."  He  obeyed  his  heart.  He 
said,  "I'll  stay  if  I  stay  alone." 

That  was  the  stuff  in  these  remaining  ten  thou- 
sand. They  stood  a  double  test  in  remaining,  the 
desperate  situation  seen  in  the  presence  of  such 
an  enormous  army,  and  the  desertion  of  their 


Gideon's  Band.  205 

fellows.  They  had  courage;  not  only  willing- 
ness but  courage.  Courage  is  a  heart  quality. 
Courage  is  the  heart  fighting.  It  faces  fearful 
odds  and  keeps  right  straight  ahead  regardless. 

A  prize  was  offered  once  for  the  best  definition 
of  "pluck."  The  definition  that  won  the  prize 
said,  "Pluck  is  fighting  with  the  scabbard  after 
the  sword  is  broken."  What  a  picture  in  a  single 
sentence!  The  man  is  fighting  with  might  and 
main  in  the  thick  of  the  enemy,  up  and  down, 
parry  and  thrust,  and  just  about  holding  his  own, 
when  suddenly,  without  a  moment's  warning,  the 
blade  snaps  close  up  to  the  hilt.  The  game's  up 
now  surely.  This  accident  decides  the  day. 
Maybe — for  some  men.  But  not  for  this  fellow. 
He  simply  sets  his  jaws  a  bit  firmer  as,  quick  as 
lightning,  he  grabs  the  scabbard  by  his  side  and 
fights  with  it. 

Such  a  man  can't  be  whipped.  He  doesn't 
know  when  he  is  whipped.  And  the  man  who 
doesn't  know  when  he  is  whipped,  never  is 
whipped.  No  man  can  be  whipped  without  his 
own  consent.  I  said  courage  is  a  heart  quality. 
These  ten  thousand  were  not  chicken-hearted  nor 
downhearted.  They  were  lion-hearted,  stout- 
hearted.    They  had  hearts  of  oak. 

It  was  a  keen  stroke  of  generalship  on  Gideon's 
part  that  sent  the  timid,  discouraged  ones  back 
home.  Nothing  is  more  demoralizing  than  the 
presence  of  such  people.    And  there  was  no  dis- 


2o6  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

cipline  much  finer  for  those  who  remained  than  to 
feel  their  fellows  leaving  them.  It's  hard  to  be 
left  by  those  who  have  been  in  touch.  It  is  hard 
to  stand  alone. 

There  is  no  harder  test  of  character  than  that. 
And  too  there  is  no  finer  thing  to  make  char- 
acter. Think  how  the  fiber  of  those  ten  thou- 
sand toughened  and  strengthened  as  they  stood 
there,  with  men  on  every  side  hurrying  away. 
This  was  the  second  test.  But  the  men  who  can 
stand  testing  are  growing  fewer.  Thirty-two 
thousand  men  were  willing.  Only  a  third  of 
them  are  both  willing  and  courageous.  These 
men  are  more  than  volunteers.  They  have  seen 
the  foe.  Their  fiber  has  stood  the  test,  and 
toughened  in  the  test.  They  are  courageous 
volunteers. 

Hot  Hearts. 


But  there  is  a  third  test.  God  comes  to  Gideon 
and  says,  "You  have  too  many  men  yet,  Gideon." 
And  Gideon's  eyes  bulge  out  a  bit.  Too  many! 
Yes,  this  is  to  be  a  quality  fight.  No  common 
fighting  here.  God  works  best  with  the  men 
who  come  nearest  to  having  His  own  thought  of 
things.  Numbers  don't  count.  You  can't  count 
men  for  service.  You  must  weigh  them,  and 
feel  the  firmness  of  their  fiber. 

There  is  a  little  running  brook  down  the  val- 


Gideon's  Band.  207 

ley.  Gideon  gives  an  order  to  his  men  to  ad- 
vance a  bit.  And  he  watches  them.  Most  of 
them  as  they  come  to  the  water  stretch  out  lei- 
surely on  the  ground  and  putting  their  mouths  to 
the  water  take  a  good  long  drink,  and  another, 
and  again.  They  seem  to  say  by  their  action, 
"Well,  there's  some  tough  work  ahead,  but  we 
must  take  care  of  ourselves.  A  man  must  look 
out  for  number  one.  We  must  not  get  unduly 
stirred  up  over  the  thing.  We're  not  fighting 
yet." 

But  one  fellow  comes  along  with  a  quick,  nerv- 
ous step,  and  his  eye  still  on  the  enemy.  He 
is  all  on  tenter-hooks.  His  eye  flashes  fire.  He 
reaches  down  with  a  quick  movement  and  gathers 
up  some  water  in  his  hand,  up  to  his  mouth,  and 
hurries  on.  Then  a  second  fellow,  and  a  third, 
and  more.  Gideon  is  watching.  As  each  of 
these  comes  along  he  calls  him  off  to  one  side. 
When  the  whole  number  of  men  have  passed  the 
brook  there  are  just  three  hundred  of  the  hot- 
hearted,  intense-spirited  fellows. 

God  said,  "Gideon,  keep  these  men;  send  the 
others  back."  These  thousands  sent  back  were 
sturdy  men.  They  would  make  good  fighters  in 
many  a  campaign,  but  they  would  not  do  for  this 
higher  kind  of  campaigning  planned  for  that  day. 
The  little  band  remaining  had  stood  a  third 
test,  they  were  willing,  and  courageous,  and 
enthusiastic. 


2o8  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

Enthusiasm  is  the  heart  burning.  These  fel- 
lows had  spring  and  snap  to  them.  Yet  it  was  a 
tempered  spring  and  snap,  the  sort  that  would 
last.  By  their  action  at  the  brook  they  said,  "If 
there's  fighting  to  be  done,  let's  do  it  quickly; 
let's  go  at  the  enemy  with  a  vim  and  a  rush. 
Oh !  let  us  at  them." 


God  Still  Sifting. 

Yet,  mark  you,  their  enthusiasm  was  seasoned. 
It  grew  under  fire,  or  practically  so,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  danger.  There  is  always  an  abun- 
dance of  the  green  article  of  enthusiasm,  but  it's 
not  worth  much  for  steady  ditch-work.  There 
is  a  sort  of  wood  enthusiasm,  apple-wood.  You 
know  how  apple-wood  burns  in  a  fire.  It  catches 
quickly,  throws  out  a  good  many  sparks,  makes 
a  loud  crackling  noise,  but  doesn't  last  long. 

There  is  another  sort,  a  soft-coal  enthusiasm. 
It's  better  than  wood.  But  it  needs  a  lot  of  at- 
tention continually  to  keep  a  steady  fire.  Then 
there's  the  hard-coal  enthusiasm  that  will  burn 
steadily  and  faithfully  by  the  hour.  Yet  no 
kind,  mark  you,  will  run  long  without  fresh  fuel. 
We  need  in  our  service  more  of  the  seasoned 
enthusiasm. 

It  has  been  said  of  General  Grant  that  one 
great  reason  for  his  success  as  a  soldier  was  in 
his  coolness.    While  the  fighting  and  firing  were 


Gideon's  Band.  209 

hottest  he  sat  on  his  horse  quietly,  coolly  watch- 
ing, listening,  and  giving  his  orders.  And  much 
of  his  power  has  been  attributed  to  that  quality. 
Well,  if  coolness  is  a  qualification  for  success  in 
Christian  service  there  seems  to  be  a  large 
number  of  persons  splendidly  qualified.  They 
are  cool  all  the  time;  cool  as  icebergs  at  the 
North  Pole;  cool  from  the  topmost  layer  of 
hair  to  the  bottommost  cuticle — about  certain 
things. 

We  want  coolness  of  head  such  as  General 
Grant  had  and  hotness  of  heart  such  as  he  had, 
too.  The  ideal  combination  is  a  cool  head  and 
a  hot  heart.  The  head  should  resemble  a  refrig- 
erator, and  the  heart  a  flaming  furnace.  There 
is  one  bother,  however,  among  many  people. 
Either  the  coolness  of  the  head  works  down  too 
much  and  affects  the  heart,  and  that  is  bad,  or, 
else  the  heat  of  the  heart  gets  up  into  the  head, 
and  a  hot  head  is  always  bad. 

Yet  there  is  a  sure  key  to  preserving  the  poise 
between  the  two.  It  is  in  the  quiet  time  daily 
with  Jesus,  over  the  Book,  with  the  knee  bent, 
and  the  ear  keen,  and  the  spirit  quiet.  In  that 
time  there  comes,  and  comes  ever  more,  the  calm- 
ness for  the  brain,  and  the  fresh  fuel  for  the 
heart,  and  new  steadiness  for  the  will  that  holds 
all  under  its  strong  hand. 

Many  difficulties  will  yield  only  to  fire.  When 
you  cannot  reason  your  way  through  a  problem. 


aio  Quiet  Talks  on  Service. 

or  a  difficulty,  or  into  a  man's  heart,  burn  your 
way  through.  Nothing  can  withstand  fire.  It  is 
very  remarkable  that  the  symbol  used  most  for 
God  in  the  Bible  is  fire.  A  man  never  amounts 
to  anything  until  he  catches  fire. 

The  proportions  are  worth  noticing  here. 
Thirty-two  thousand  were  volunteers,  A  third 
of  that  number  are  courageous  volunteers. 
About  a  thirty-third  of  these,  less  than  a  hun- 
dredth of  the  original,  are  hot-hearted,  cour- 
ageous volunteers. 

This  is  Gideon's  Band;  three  hundred  young 
men  fresh  from  the  farm,  who  were  willing,  and 
courageous,  and  hot-hearted,  all  heart  qualities. 
They  stood  every  test.  They  had  faced  a  foe 
that  humanly  they  had  no  chance  to  overcome, 
and  because  of  God's  call  they  were  not  only  will- 
ing, and  stout-hearted,  but  intense  in  their  desire 
to  get  at  the  fighting. 

Then  under  Gideon's  leadership  they  were  well 
fed,  and  organized;  they  proved  individually 
faithful  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  and  they 
pushed  persistently  on  even  when  bodily  tired 
out.  And  the  nation  knew  a  great  victory  over 
its  enemies,  and  a  time  of  prosperity  for  years 
after. 

God  is  still  sifting  men  for  service.  He  will 
use  gladly  every  man  who  is  willing  to  be  used. 
When  a  man  stands  the  first  test  well,  there  comes 
a  second.    That,  stood  well,  means  others.    These 


Gideon's  Band.  211 

are  our  promotion  tests.  He  lets  those  who  stand 
all  testings  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight  and  up 
to  the  highest  heights  of  victory. 

Master,  help  us  to  endure  every  test  as  seeing 
Him  who  is  invisible. 


Printed  in  the   United  States  of  A  merica 


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leading  figures  in  the  growth  of  the  early  church."— jr*f»»cr. 

JESSE  FOREST  SILVER 

The  Lord's  Return 

Seen  in  History  and  in  Scripture  as  Pre-Millcnnlal 
and  Imminent.  With  an  Introduction  by  Bishop 
Wilson  T.  Hogue,  Ph.D.     8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

In   hio   latroductory   Preface,    Bishop    Hogue   of   the   Free 
Methodist  Church  says:    "Aa  encyclopedia  of  valuable  lafor- 
cendensed  into  a  convenient  hand-book  for  rcadf  ref* 


ESSAYS,  STUDIES,  ADDRESSES 


tROF.  HUGH  BLACK 


The  New  World 

i6mo,  cloth,  net  $i.oo. 

"The  old  order  changeth,  brinsrixiff  in  the  new."     To  a  re» 

riew  of  our  changing  world — religious,  scientific,  social — Huih 
Black  brings  that  interpretative  skill  and  keen  insight  whica 
distinguishes  all  his  writings  and  thinking.  Especially  docs  ho 
face  the  problem  of  the  prescn*^  day  unsettlement  and  unresd 
in  religious  beliefs  with  sanity  amd  courage,  furnishing  in  thifj 
as  in  other  aspects  of  his  enquiry,  a  new  viewpoint  and  cUri4 
fied  outlook. 

S.  D.  GORDON     ■ 

Quiet  Talks  on  John's  Gospel 

As  Presented  in  the  Gospel  of  John.  Cloth,  net  f^ 

Mr.  Gordon  halts  his  reader  here  and  there,  at  some  pre- 
cious text,  some  outstanding  instance  of  God's  tenderness, 
much  as  a  traveller  lingers  for  refreshment  at  a  waysidp 
spring,  and  bids  us  hearken  as  God's  wooing  note  is  heard 
pleading  for  consecrated  service.  An  enheartening  book,  and 
a  restful.  A  book  of  the  winning  Voice,  of  outstretched 
Hands. 

ROBERT  F.    HORTONy  P.P. 

The  Springs  of  Joy  and  Other  Addresses 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $i.oo. 

"Scholarljr,  reverent,  penetrating,  human.  The  product  of 
a  mature  mind  and  of  a  genuine  and  sustained  religious  ex« 
perience.  The  message  of  a  thinker  and  a  saint,  which  will 
be  found  to  be  very  helpful."— C/»r«#«i«  Intelligencer, 

BISHOP  WALTER  R,   LAMBUTH 

Winning  the  World  for  Chri^ 

A  Study  of  Dynamics.  Cole  Lectures  for  1915. 
l2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

Ihis  Lecture-Course  is  a  spirited  contribution  to  the  dy- 
namics of  Missions.  It  presents  a  study  of  the  sources  of  in- 
spiration and  power  in  the  lives  of  missionaries,  native  and 
foreign,  who  with  supreme  abandon  gave  themselves  utterly 
to  '^he  work  to  which  they  were  called. 

FREDERICK  F.  SHANNON,   P.P. 

The  New  Personality  and  Other  Sermons 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

Mr.  Shannon,  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Church  on  the 
Heights,  Brooklyn,  is  possessed  of  lofty  ideals,  is  purpose- 
ful, more  than  ordinarily  eloquent  and  has  the  undoubted 
gifts  of  felicitous  and  epigrammatic  expression.  This  new  vol- 
ume by  the  popular  preacher  is  a  contribution  of  distinct  value 
to  current  sermonic  Utcraturr« 


Date  Due 

^ 

N  13  -SJ 

1 

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J-  <,.  ^ 

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